A teenager from Colorado found herself in the hospital with kidney failure after consuming a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese just before the fast-food chain’s E.coli outbreak.
Kamberlyn Bowler, a 15-year-old freshman and softball player at Grand Junction High School, had been healthy until mid-October when she started experiencing symptoms like fever and stomach pain, as reported by NBC News.
“We both thought it was just a fever, maybe the flu or a stomach bug,” Bowler shared with the outlet.
“But then I started throwing up, having diarrhea, and it was bloody, so it scared me.”
Her condition deteriorated, leading to a diagnosis of kidney failure due to an E. coli infection. Bowler was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora where she underwent dialysis to save her kidneys.
It was discovered that Bowler had frequented McDonald’s before falling ill, ordering her favorite meal: a Quarter Pounder with cheese and extra pickles.
She is among 75 individuals affected by the E. coli outbreak, with 22 hospitalized and one fatality in Mesa County, where Bowler resides.
McDonald’s has faced lawsuits over the outbreak, with concerns about the lasting impact on Bowler’s kidneys and overall health.
Food Poisoning Lawyer Ron Simon, representing Bowler and others, anticipates more cases related to the E. coli outbreak.
Despite the decline in McDonald’s visits following the outbreak, the company plans to reintroduce Quarter Pounders without slivered onions after negative E. coli tests.
