LOCAL NEWS

Tooele family warns of E. coli after daughter nearly dies in the hospital

Nov 25, 2021, 10:36 AM

TOOELE, UtahA Tooele family hopes their daughter’s story will educate others about how dangerous an E. coli infection can be in young children and how to prevent it from happening. 

Edward Jones said his two-year-old daughter, Olivia, fell ill after eating out in July.

“Olivia had blood in her stool. She had diarrhea, so we were starting to be concerned within 24 hours,” Jones said.

Olivia’s parents said they changed 90 diapers in just two days.

They rushed their little girl to the hospital, but said doctors had a hard time pin pointing what was causing her to be so sick.

“They told us to let it pass,” said Jones. “She cried a lot, and it was very hard on our family.” 

The family kept pushing for answers.

They said doctors agreed to run more tests and eventually spotted something in her blood.

“They were able to draw her blood, and that’s when it came back that she had some sort of HUS (hemolytic uremic syndrome) or kidney failure,” Jones said.

Olivia had emergency surgery and started dialysis.

Her road to recovery has been a long one, but family feels no matter what happens, she is a fighter and will come out on top.

“Doctors say worst case, she gets a kidney transplant; best case, she fully recovers, and she is somewhere in between that,” said Jones.

The state health department said hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is caused by an E. coli infection, is so rare that since 2000, they have only seen about five cases a year. About 55% of these cases require dialysis and 5% die.

“I would have never imagined that eating bad food, my daughter would be hospitalized and almost die,” said Jones.

Family said Olivia’s medical bills are mounting and are now close to $150,000.

Friends and family set up a GoFundMe page* to help with the expenses.

They hope her story will prompt others to be cautious about eating out, wash your hands and produce, and to cook meat throughly.

“She ate somewhere bad, she got this disease and went through hell and it will probably affect her the rest of her life,” said Jones. “But she is a fighter!”


*KSL-TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

KSL 5 TV Live

Local News

Man being taken on stretcher to an ambulance figures blurred...

Lauren Steinbrecher

West Jordan man trying ‘to be funny’ allegedly shot and killed best friend

Investigators believe a joke between friends turned into the shooting death of a West Jordan man. The fatal mistake is also turning into a message police hope every gun owner can hear.

5 hours ago

Matt Gephardt meeting with Denis Hawkins after a rental car company after they ignored his calls fo...

Matt Gephardt

Get Gephardt helps Spanish Fork man clear up insurance claim for rental car damage

Get Gephardt clears up an international rental car insurance standstill.

5 hours ago

small housing units...

Debbie Worthen

Utah’s micro-shelter pilot program gets extension to help homeless

A micro-shelter pilot program will stay in place for at least six more months.

6 hours ago

A trench used for training a team of firefighters to be a part of Utah County's Special Response Te...

Shelby Lofton

Heavy Rescue school students respond to real-life emergency during trench collapse training

A team of firefighter students training to be on a Special Response Team rescued a man buried in a trench collapse the week they'd been studying trenches.

6 hours ago

The Cache County Council took up the e-mail controversy...

Mike Anderson

A single text stirs political fallout in Cache County election

A text message is blowing up into a whole lot of political fallout in Cache County.

7 hours ago

A map shows where the Chief Toquer reservoir will connect to the Ash Creek Reservoir....

Cary Schwanitz

Feds pour $7 million into southern Utah water pipeline project

A project to build a new pipeline that will run from the Ash Creek Reservoir to the Chief Toquer Reservoir received $7 million from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

7 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Women hold card for scanning key card to access Photocopier Security system concept...

Les Olson

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

Tooele family warns of E. coli after daughter nearly dies in the hospital