Published Sunday, July 28, 2002
PYMATUNING TOWNSHIP
Herald Staff Writer
Four-year-old Mariah Hackett is full of energy as she plays with her 5-year-old brother, Matthew, and 1-year-old sister, Madison, at her family's Pymatuning Township home.
But less than a month ago, Mariah was hooked up to a ventilator at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh as toxins invaded her body.
Mariah was sick with hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, an outcome of E. coli 0157:H7 infection. While she was in the hospital, Matthew also started showing symptoms of infection.
Their parents, Chris and Wendy Hackett, are baffled about where and how Mariah and Matthew got infected.
"I just spoke with the Mercer County Health Department and the Pennsylvania Health Department in Mercer. They're in touch, and working with doctors in Harrisburg," Hackett said. "They're scratching their heads trying to figure out where Mariah got it, and why Matthew got it two and a half weeks later."
In all, Mariah spent five weeks in the hospital and Matthew spent five days in the hospital. Mariah came home last week.
"Her kidneys still aren't 100 percent better," Mrs. Hackett said. "We're still hoping she won't need dialysis or a transplant. We'll know in about a month's time."
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported there were two cases of E. coli infection in Mercer County this year and 47 cases statewide. Mercer County did not have any cases of E. coli in 2000 or 2001, a spokeswoman from the Pennsylvania Department of Health said.
Hackett said doctors at Children's Hospital told the family they see about six cases of E. coli a year. Of those cases, about 10 percent are fatal, he said.
One evening in mid-June, Mariah fell ill.
"You could tell she just wasn't herself," Mrs. Hackett said.
The next morning, Mariah had bloody diarrhea. Her parents took her to the doctor, who thought she had a virus. When her condition was unchanged the next day, the doctor told them to take a stool sample to the hospital.
A few days later, Mariah was admitted to the hospital for dehydration because of constant diarrhea.
"She looked like a worn-out washrag," her father said. "She was just limp."
On Father's Day, she was sent to Children's Hospital, where she was diagnosed with an E. coli infection that developed into HUS, a severe, life-threatening complication in which the E. coli bacteria release toxins into the blood and can cause organ damage.
"They couldn't do anything except give her IVs," Mrs. Hackett said.
"There is no cure for it. They can't treat it, they can't kill it," Hackett said. "For two weeks she took nothing by mouth. She lived off the IVs."
The family stayed at Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh while Mariah was in the hospital.
Mariah underwent dialysis five times, and at one point her blood pressure got so high she had to be taken to the intensive care unit. During her stay she also had pancreatitis, fluid in her lung and temporary blindness.
"Nothing down there went unattended or ignored," Hackett said. "Everything was brought to everyone's attention ... it's a scary thing having to go down there, but it's the best place in the world."
On July 3, Mariah had a seizure while on dialysis and had to be ventilated.
The next day, Matthew ended up in the emergency room with bloody diarrhea and was also admitted to the hospital.
"By the time she was done being ventilated, and I took the little one upstairs, he woke up with bloody diarrhea, screaming and yelling," Hackett said.
Matthew had the same strain of E. coli as Mariah, but his condition was not as severe.
"He was still eating and playing. She wasn't," Mrs. Hackett said.
"The difference was, he was rehydrated immediately," Hackett said. "She was dehydrated for two and a half days."
After eight days in intensive care, Mariah was moved back upstairs. She started to feel better and her energy came back, her parents said.
Now that she's home, Mariah is scheduled to go back to the doctors in Pittsburgh once a month. Once a week, she goes to UPMC Horizon, Greenville, for bloodwork and she's on medication.
"Every day since she's been home you can tell she's getting a little better," her mother said.
Hackett said the two most important things people can do to help prevent E. coli infection are to push the Food and Drug Administration to inspect meat thoroughly, and to encourage fast food restaurants to cook food completely.
He also said hand washing -- especially after using the restroom or changing diapers -- cooking meat until it's no longer pink and washing fruits and vegetables are basic prevention tactics people can use every day. The Hacketts now keep hand sanitizer in their vehicles and their diaper bags.
The Hacketts said they hope their children's story will make the community more aware of E. coli.
"You never think of it until it hits you," Hackett said. "You never think of it until your child stops breathing and they shove you out of the room."