A 22-month-old child has been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome in the Birmingham, Alabama, Children’s Hospital.

Her grandfather, Dr Malone Chandler, told The Troy Messenger in regards to Mallory’s condition, “The concern for Mallory is that her kidney function began to decline in the past 24 hours. She is on dialysis, temporarily, and she has had a blood transfusion. She is not in great shape, but the news that we got today is encouraging.”

“At the beach, Mallory played in the pool,” he said. “She had not eaten anything much since last Wednesday or Thursday, so we really don’t know of any food that she might have eaten that could have made her sick. We are wondering if it could have been something in the pool water.”

Chandler said in the past week four children have been admitted to Children’s Hospital suffering from the same symptoms as Mallory.

Chandler said the source of Mallory’s illness is not known and may never be.