Latest news with #SuzanneFaircloth
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
An Oklahoma toddler fights for her life after contracting multiple strains of E. coli after swimming at Keystone Lake
A 2-year-old is fighting for her life after contracting three strains of E. coli while swimming in Keystone Lake, her family says. Toddler Elisabeth Faircloth was swimming and boating with her family in Oklahoma in early June when she started feeling sick. The child was prescribed antibiotics for strep throat, but her condition only worsened. "It's a nightmare, and it happened so fast — within like a week, we're here," Suzanne Faircloth, the girl's mother, told KOTV. The antibiotic actually aggravated her infection, she told the outlet. At the emergency room, doctors told her family that the child had contracted three strains of E. coli, leading to Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), an infection that affects the kidneys, according to Cleveland Clinic. "It blows our minds, because we've never even heard of anything like this ever happening," Faircloth said. "We've heard of E. coli — but usually in hamburgers." The little girl is still in the intensive care unit. "They are working night and day — the staff is amazing — just to keep her stable," Faircloth told KOTV about the hospital staff. "It kind of feels like you're drowning and you get brief moments of air just enough to keep you alive, but there's no end in sight." Melissa Lynne, the child's aunt, wrote in a social media post last week that her kidneys have been 'most severely' impacted. 'She is currently on dialysis and has been medically paralyzed in order to give her little body the best chance at conquering this thing,' she wrote. 'Although the prognosis is hopeful, it will be a very long battle to get her well again and it's uncertain if she will ever recover 100% or if there will be permanent kidney and/or brain damage.' She now is fighting an infection in her lungs, the family wrote on Facebook Monday, noting that doctors can't use the typical treatment — antibiotics — since that will only worsen her condition. In a social media post, they added: '[We] just can't imagine another child fighting for their life or parents living through this hell, when we could have warned families. Stay vigilant parents and get your kids in early if symptoms arise after a lake day.' 'The faster you get your kids in the better the odds,' they said.
Miami Herald
15 hours ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
2-year-old in coma after E. coli infection from Oklahoma lake. ‘Blows our minds'
A 2-year-old girl contracted E. coli at an Oklahoma lake and is now fighting for her life as complications from the infection takes its toll on her body, her family says. 'It's a nightmare, and it happened so fast — within like a week, we're here,' said Suzanne Faircloth, the mother of Elisabeth Faircloth, who became ill after swimming in Keystone Lake in early June, KOTV reported. According to a GoFundMe, Elisabeth is battling kidney failure and is 'fighting every day to stay with us.' Elisabeth's sister, Grayson Faircloth, said the virus has been attacking other organs as well, including her liver. Melissa Lynne, Elisabeth's aunt, said in a Facebook post her niece was diagnosed with Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome and is fighting three different strains of E. coli. 'She is currently on dialysis and has been medically paralyzed in order to give her little body the best chance at conquering this thing,' Lynne said. 'Although the prognosis is hopeful, it will be a very long battle to get her well again and it's uncertain if she will ever recover 100% or if there will be permanent kidney and/or brain damage.' The Mayo Clinic says Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome, also called HUS, can cause blood clots throughout the body 'when small blood vessels become damaged and inflamed.' Young children are most susceptible to HUS, and certain E. coli strains are often the cause. In a June 17 update, Kelly Faircloth said Elisabeth was now awake, but the infection had begun attacking her lungs. 'It blows our minds, because we've never even heard of anything like this ever happening,' Elisabeth's mother told KOTV. 'We've heard of E. coli — but usually in hamburgers.' Multiple waterways in Oklahoma were reported to have elevated levels of E. coli when water samples were collected May 23, according to the Grand River Dam Authority. Those waterways did not include Keystone Lake, located about a 25-mile drive northwest from Tulsa, but the River Parks Authority announced June 10 that Zink Lake would be closed 'due to unsafe water conditions from high Keystone Dam releases.' Children under 5 are among the groups of people most likely to be infected with E. coli, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most E. coli bacteria are harmless, the CDC says, but others cause sickness and the risk of HUS.
