Kamberlyn Bowler frequently visited McDonald’s for her favorite meal—a Quarter Pounder with cheese and extra pickles—in the days before to her illness. The once active and robust 15-year-old is currently in the ICU suffering from renal failure, a rare and potentially fatal side effect of E. coli illness.
Numerous people, including Kamberlyn from Grand Junction, Colorado, claim that eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounders caused them to get ill. At least 75 people in 13 states have contracted E. coli after eating at the fast-food business, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is one dead individual.
McDonald’s claims that the quarter pounders’ sliced onions were the most likely cause of the contamination. Onions are no longer available on the menu at the massive restaurant chain.
Although no particular ingredient has been identified as the cause of the epidemic, the onions’ distributor, California-based Taylor Farms, has “preemptively recalled” yellow onions from the Colorado facility that supplied vegetables to food service clients.
Kamberlyn, a freshman in high school, brushed away her emotions as she described the feelings of the last few weeks in her first interview about her experience: From her hospital room on Monday afternoon, she said via Zoom, “Not fun.”
According to Brittany Randall, Kamberlyn’s mother, her daughter began experiencing symptoms this month, including a fever and stomach aches. At first, neither Randall nor Kamberlyn was overly worried.
“We both kind of thought I just had a fever, like just the flu or something — a stomach bug,” Kamberlyn stated. “But then I started throwing up, having diarrhea, and it was bloody, so it scared me.”
Kamberlyn claimed that Randall took her to the doctor and then to the ER for scans that revealed nothing noteworthy. However, Kamberlyn did not recover at home.
“I think it was day six that she said: ‘Something’s not right. I don’t feel good. I need to go back to the hospital,'”Randall stated.
This time, the results of the testing revealed something concerning: Kamberlyn was suffering from renal failure due to an E. coli infection. She was transported to Children’s Hospital Colorado outside of Denver on October 18 and has stayed there ever since.
“It’s been definitely a roller coaster from the time that we’ve gotten here until now. Every day has been new tests or new things that pop up, or it’s basically watching her body just not work,” Randall stated.
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, is Kamberlyn’s diagnosis. This condition can occur when the kidneys are attacked by the E. coli bacteria. In the hospital, she has had several rounds of dialysis.
The degree of the long-term damage is unknown, however Randall stated that her daughter’s kidneys are exhibiting “some signs” of functioning once more.
“We’re not really sure what it’s going to look like for her moving forward,” she stated, continuing: “She’ll probably have to do another round of dialysis. We’re hoping that that’s the last one, but we also don’t know, and we don’t know if there’s going to be future issues.”
Randall and Kamberlyn have recruited a lawyer who has previously filed two lawsuits on behalf of other clients, and they intend to sue McDonald’s. However, they are currently concentrating on Kamberlyn’s recuperation.
Read Also: CDC Reports: E. Coli Outbreak Tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders Results in 1 Fatality, 49 Infected
According to the CDC, the majority of people who contract E. coli typically experience severe stomach pains, diarrhea, and vomiting three to four days after consuming contaminated food. Within a week, the majority of infected people recover without medical intervention.
However, only a very tiny portion of patients—estimates vary, with some putting the number as low as 2%—develop HUS.
Kamberlyn had no underlying medical issues prior to catching E. coli, and she played softball and worked out frequently, which should help her recover from HUS, according to Iovine.
Randall described the encounter as horrifying and expressed gratitude to Kamberlyn for seeing that something was seriously amiss.
According to Simon, Kamberlyn’s lawsuit will be filed this week. Nine of the individuals he represents have been admitted to the hospital, and one has been diagnosed with HUS, he said.
