Toddler contracts E. coli at Keystone Lake

TULSA, Okla. (KFOR) — A hot day on the lake changed drastically and became rather scary for one family, after their toddler contracted E. coli from the water. Now, they're warning other parents as they're still dealing with the infection.

"The journey has been hell because it's one organ shutting down after another," said Suzanne Faircloth, Elisabeth's mom.

Earlier this month, the Faircloth's went to Keystone Lake for a few days of swimming and taking the boat for a spin on the water.

However, their fun adventure took a terrifying turn.

"She wasn't feeling good when she woke up in the middle of the night, throwing up," said Faircloth.

The family rushed 2-year-old Elisabeth to the doctor, where she was tested for strep throat and put on antibiotics, but Elisabeth spiraled downward.

"Once the doctor first saw her, he was like, yeah, you need to take her to the ER. There's nothing I can do for you here," said Faircloth.

After a lot of testing, Elisabeth was diagnosed with all three strains of E. coli.

She was put in a medically induced coma and placed on dialysis to clean her blood and help her kidneys.

"She had like a tube coming out of her mouth and all that and basically had to keep her on life support," said Faircloth.

Elisabeth is now awake, as the family goes on Day 13 in the hospital. While she's doing better, she is still in a fight for her life.

"They said the only thing we can do is keep her alive, basically, keep her stable. Keep her vitals good, and she has to fight it. She has to kill the bacteria, because there's nothing that can kill it," said Faircloth.

Their story is now inspiring them to share the warning signs with other parents who might be heading out to the lake.

"If you go to any of these spots and your kid starts feeling nauseous, ask your doctor, 'Hey, can you test for that strand before we give antibiotics,' because antibiotics accelerates it through the blood," said Faircloth.

It's a day-to-day battle for Elisabeth to beat the infection.

"It's horrible to watch every day, just watching them suffer. It's horrible for anyone who visits, you see it in their face. You don't want to see a little kid go through this," said Faircloth.

The Tulsa Corps of Engineers sent a statement regarding water testing in that area.

The Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers endeavors to provide safe water-based recreation opportunities for the public. During the recreation season we perform weekly sampling of designated swim beaches at USACE parks.  Bacteria are present in nature at varying levels, and these levels are constantly changing based upon many factors which can include sources of runoff, lake level, current, time, temperature, human and wildlife activity, and other factors. Bacteria levels can vary widely from one location at a designated swim beach to another and throughout the lake. While test results provide us with an indication of bacteria levels at designated swim beaches when the samples were obtained, they do not guarantee or imply bacteria no bacteria is present. Our designated swim beach testing process is as follows:  

• During the Recreation Season, park rangers and environmental specialists collect samples at USACE designated swim beach.
• If test results show unacceptable bacteria levels at a swim beach we resample and retest the swim beach.
• If follow-up testing shows unacceptable bacteria levels, we close the affected designated swim beach.
• We do not reopen the designated swim beach until test results show levels are within established acceptable ranges.

We do not sample or test swim beaches that are closed because of high water, low water (which may occur during droughts), or maintenance. Millions of visitors enjoy outdoor recreation opportunities at Tulsa District parks and lakes each year. Most depart without experiencing injury or illness. We encourage visitors to wash their hands thoroughly after enjoying water-based recreation opportunities at lakes before eating or handling food to reduce likelihood of contracting waterborne or other bacteria. The safety of our visitors is our top priority, and we endeavor to offer the opportunity for safe and enjoyable recreation experiences for our visitors. We cannot all risks associated with nature or outdoor recreation.

Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Experts highlight that lakes can carry E. coli due to sewage spills into the water, runoff from heavy rains, or animal waste.