A Colorado 15-year-old, Kamberlyn Bowler, is battling a rare and severe complication from E. coli poisoning. The teen is currently hospitalized and facing kidney failure after reportedly consuming a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder linked to an ongoing outbreak of bacterial infections associated with the fast-food chain.
Bowler, who shared her experience with NBC News, is now fighting enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. This severe condition arises when harmful E. coli invade the kidneys. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), out of 22 hospitalized individuals in connection with this outbreak, she is the sole child suffering from HUS.
“We both kind of thought I just had a fever, like just the flu or something — a stomach bug. But then I started throwing up, having diarrhea, and it was bloody, so it scared me,” Bowler recounted. Despite initial hospital tests showing nothing significant, the situation escalated quickly.
Her mother, Brittany Randall, recalled, “About six days later, she said ‘something’s not right’ and needed to go back to the hospital.” The second visit revealed Bowler’s alarming renal failure.
“If she would have waited, if I would have waited longer, she could not be here right now.” With her future uncertain, Bowler’s family is left reeling from the ramifications of what began as a meal at a fast-food restaurant. As lawsuits loom, McDonald’s has expressed sorrow over the incident. As of this week, those diagnosed with E. coli from eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounders have risen to 90. There has been one fatality.
