E coli Kills 8-Year Old Girl In Ozarks
An isolated case in an isolated place where no one has had E coli in four years. However, 8-year old Evie Hope Wray of Theodosia, MO was a confirmed E coli case; one that evolved into Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), And HUS killed Evie, who was a soccer and cat-loving second-grader at Lutie Elementary School.
The farm, where she lived with her parents and brother, has well-water that was found to be clean and safe. Ozark health officials are tying to find out where Evie was exposed to E. coli, but say its really difficult with an isolated case.
KSPR-TV, the ABC affiliate in Springfield, MO is telling the sad story. They report that:
When this close-knit family's youngest daughter became horribly ill, it was devastating.
“Her vitals started dropping… they hooked her up to oxygen and when that didn’t work, they had her on all kinds of drips,” Evie’s dad Tom Wray remembers.She was diagnosed with a serious strain of E. Coli, but it was HUS that caused her death.
With no way to treat the infection, doctors could merely provide dialysis to support her failing kidneys and sedatives to reduce her pain.“She was on about seven different machines. I just touched her and said, ‘momma’s here.’” Evie passed away at a Columbia hospital, surrounded by people who loved her.
But those people are still haunted by how- how did this happen?
For more on Evie, go here.
Evie Hope Wray
We are devastated by the loss of our precious, beautiful niece. She was our sunshine and joy. She
was adventurous, not afraid of anything & possessed
a great sense of humor. I can't imagine the pain my
brother & his family are feeling. The loss is beyond
words. I know she is in heaven, a beautiful angel,
happy & free of suffering. We were blessed to have
Evie in our lives. In her memory, I will do all I
can to educate others about E-coli:H7.
Evie, your loving spirit will always be alive in our hearts.
We love you dearly,
Aunt Kay and Uncle Michael