Hello friends,

My 16-year-old daughter Kaliyana was recently hospitalized for 13 days. At some point between June 6th and June 9th, Kali contracted a very severe case of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157: H7.

We suspect leafy greens (spinach) as the culprit. We recently bought a juicer and had been juicing frequently in the weeks leading up to this. Kali was excited to be able to get more of her greens in since she has never been a big salad eater. She wanted to be the one to operate the juicer and was the one handling the veggies and fruits the most. We believe that is where this all began.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157: H7 is an enterohemorrhagic bacterial strain that causes diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and in the worst cases of Shiga, like in Kaliyana’s case, the toxin leads to HUS, which stands for Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. HUS causes severe damage to the kidneys and organs, inflammation, and hemorrhaging throughout the intestines and even death. You can read more about it here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507845/

After multiple days of receiving fluids and being moved into the ICU, Kali’s kidneys were damaged to the extent that she required 3 blood transfusions in total. After reviewing her labs, the nephrologists conveyed that due to this level of damage, they were certain that Kaliyana was going to require dialysis to clean her blood.

As a mother, receiving this news was one of the most heartbreaking moments that I have ever experienced. Anyone who knows Kaliyana knows what a light she is to everyone she meets. Anyone who knows me knows that Kaliyana has been the best thing to ever happen to me. Kaliyana’s presence in my life has healed me in so many ways. She makes me want to be the very best version of me so that I always show up as the best mother to her. The thought of living life without her was one that I pray never ever enters my mind again because it was that unbearable.

After her first blood transfusion in the ICU on Father’s Day, Kaliyana’s numbers very slowly started to turn in a positive direction. We had so many people praying for our family. I truly feel they made a difference. They gave us HOPE, and I cannot begin to thank them enough.

Since Kaliyana’s numbers had made a slight improvement, the nephrologists held off on the dialysis so that they could continue to monitor for improvements. They ordered a second blood transfusion. Kaliyana kept pushing through and her numbers continued to slowly improve. However, she began to have consistent migraines, spinal pain, and frequent vomiting, so the doctor ordered an MRI to be sure that the HUS had not caused any neurological damage or issues. Luckily, when the MRI results came back, the doctors assured us that there had not been any neurological damage caused by the HUS. After her third blood transfusion, a few more days of fluids, labs, and monitoring by the Sutter Health Team, we were finally cleared to go home.

There is still a long road to recovery and getting my sweet girl healthy. Through this experience, Kaliyana stayed so unbelievably tough, but this was so traumatic for the whole family. It was most certainly a life-changing experience.

With this GoFundMe, we are looking for help to raise funds to help us cover the medical costs associated with this unexpected and extended hospitalization due to the E. Coli complications. Anything you can donate helps and is very appreciated.

Another huge thank you to all the people who showed up and helped us out during this difficult time with words of support, kindness, food, blankets, comfort items for Kaliyana, and most importantly, prayers. Thank you for your love. Thank you for loving us and for being amazing humans.