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Excerpt from "A Year in the Life of Riley" (feature originally used in 2009 annual report)

"Rylee’s story began on January 8, 2009, at the emergency department at American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH). She was brought there with bloody diarrhea and dehydration, which was found to be caused by two types of foodborne bacteria: Shigella and E. coli.

Three days later, Rylee developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS, a disease that can occur in children with these types of bacterial infections). It caused Rylee’s kidneys to shut down.
Typically, HUS-related renal failure resolves by itself, explained pediatric nephrologist Sharon Bartosh, MD. 'Most children need medical support and short-term dialysis while the disease runs its course,' she said. 'They usually recover on their own with few, if any, residual medical problems.'

'But Rylee was the exception to the rule.'"

>> View story | View complete 2009 report