MURRIETA -- To hell and back. That's where Mary and Tony Martin said they feel like they have been the last two months, practically living in hospitals as they watched their only child, Chris, 7, fight to survive an E. coli infection.

Chris, a second-grader at Tovashal Elementary School, was one of the many victims of a national E. coli outbreak that occurred in September, when more than 200 people were sickened and three people died after separate outbreaks traced to tainted spinach and raw milk.

The Murrieta couple said that were it not for the overwhelming support and prayers of family and friends, they are not sure things would have turned out the way they did, with their son finally coming home recently after recovering from being on the verge of death for more than a month.

"It's the belief in the power of prayer and that miracles can happen," Mary said about what kept her going through the long, sleepless nights and endless hours of worry. "That's what I did, as a parent and a human being."

Mary, who worked as a counselor at Thompson Middle School for 11 years, said that while Chris was in the hospital, neighbors and Murrieta Valley Unified School District employees rallied around her family, collecting money and donating blood, among other efforts.

"It's a great place to live and work," she said. "I'm so thankful for their time, energy and prayers."

Mary said Chris ate spinach and drank raw milk in the days leading up to his hospital stay, which began Sept. 7. She said she isn't sure which product contained the bacteria.

Most people recover from an E. coli infection in about five to 10 days. The elderly, children and those with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable. They may develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, which damages the capillaries, the tiniest blood vessels, in the kidneys. This can lead to kidney failure.

That's exactly what happened to Chris.

The nightmare

Mary was concerned on the first day Chris started vomiting and had constant diarrhea, but it was the sight of blood that caused her to rush him to the hospital, she said.

And thus the outside world ceased to exist, Mary and Tony said. Days became weeks as the family was transferred from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital in a battle to keep Chris alive.

"If I could describe it in one word, it would be 'hell,'" Mary said.

The couple said they believe their son would have recovered fairly easily from the E. coli infection were it not for a dose of antibiotics he should never have been given. This medical error, they said, pushed Chris to develop hemolytic uremic syndrome and ultimately kidney failure, they said.

An E. coli infection can still lead to the syndrome without a dose of antibiotics, but the odds are significantly increased if a patient is given antibiotics. In Chris' case, his father said doctors did not wait for the results of a culture to come back to confirm E. coli, that they thought it was colitis, an inflammation of the colon.

Tony said his son did have colitis -- as a result of the E. coli infection.

"Killing E. coli in your body (with antibiotics) gives you a toxin," he said. "Then the toxin marches through your body for the next 10 days. It shuts down your kidneys and blows up your red blood cells."

For a while, Chris was kept alive on machines, with six tubes running in and out of different parts of his body. Blood transfusions, CAT scans, MRIs, kidney dialysis and other medical efforts often became the order of the day, they said.

He ended up developing pancreatitis, and could not eat, drink or urinate on his own for weeks.

Meanwhile, Tony said he was fighting health insurance battles. They credit a lengthy stay at the Loma Linda University Medical Center for Chris' recovery.

"People say, 'How did you do it?'" Mary said. "You just take each day as it comes, and you pray a lot, and you are very, very thankful."

Community support

Mary and Tony are also quick to heap praise on friends, neighbors and co-workers for the overwhelming support they offered the Martins during Chris' medical battle. The couple said they could not have gotten through the last two months without it.

Mary likened the Murrieta school district to one big family, who is always there during tough times. Mary has not worked in the school district for a few years, and still so many of her former colleagues did what they could to help, she said.

As Chris battled the infection, Mary would leave lengthy messages on her cell phone detailing updates for the many who called.

One such person was Thompson Middle School counselor Eileen Ponce, who said she and other employees helped set up blood drives and prayer chains. A staff fundraiser netted about $600. Ponce would also e-mail others in the school district updates on Chris' condition.

"Initially it was just say a prayer for him, keep the family in your thoughts," Ponce said of the e-mails. "When it got to the point where we needed to donate blood, so many people showed up. It's amazing how news spread. Even though we have gotten to be a big community, we are still small."

Mary said many neighbors and friends helped the family out by getting their car fixed, taking care of their dog, picking up their mail, patching up their fence when heavy winds blew through, doing the couple's laundry and keeping their pool clean while the two were in the hospital with Chris.

"I kept telling them, 'Please, let us do something else,'" said Debby Davidowitz, one neighbor of the Martins. "You just feel like you can't do enough for them."

Davidowitz said she refers to Chris as a miracle now.

"When he comes over it's like, 'Chris, pinch me. I can't believe you are here,'" she said. "I am ecstatic. Nothing could top that."

Continuing on

The journey is not over for the family. Chris could have permanent kidney damage that may surface during puberty, they said. For now, they said, they are taking it one day at a time.

Tony Martin said he is a wiser man because of everything that has happened, wiser in the sense that he better appreciates the little things, such as when Chris looks up at him and says, "I love you, Dad."

The Martins said they are also in the process of meeting with a few hospital ombudsmen to make sure that what happened to Chris does not happen to another child.

They said that if the first doctor Chris saw when he went into the hospital on the first night would have put a wristband on him noting that he should not receive a dose of antibiotics, then the second doctor may not have administered the dose that sent Chris spiraling into trauma.

"All they needed was one little wristband," Mary said.

As they work with medical officials, the Martins are also trying to get Chris back into school when the timing is right. He is still weak and can't fight off infections easily. With it being flu season, the Martins are being cautious.

Although Chris is still anemic, he can easily put a smile on his face now and enjoys playing video games.

"I am happy to be home," he said.

Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.