E.coli 0157 [Hardcover]

Mary Heersink (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1996

"Stirring medical melodrama with a serious purpose." --Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1992, at a Boy Scout outing, 11-year-old Damion Heersink ate contaminated hamburger meat and spent six-and-a-half weeks near death in pediatric intensive care. In this detailed journal of her son's ultimately victorious battle with the killer microbe identified as E. coli 0157, Heersink, the wife of an Alabama physician, also describes the destruction of her own confidence in the safety of food, despite the assurances of government inspections. Her son's harrowing illness, the ineffectiveness of antibiotics and the slowness of authorities to react to the microbe caused Heersink to become an advocate for reform of our meat-inspection system. A co-founder of Safe Tables Our Priority (STOP), Heersink has testified before Congress and gained media attention. This true-life medical thriller will make readers think twice before sinking their teeth into their next hamburger. 20,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

What begins with a weekend camping trip ends in a fight for life for 11-year-old Damion Heersink as he battles hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Infection races through his body, precipitating a series of organ failures in his kidneys, heart, and lungs that leaves him teetering between life and death. The culprit turns out to be the virulent drug-resistant bacteria E. coli 0157. Found in undercooked meat and other sources, E. coli 0157 is a worldwide leading killer of children. Author Heersink (Damion's mother) vividly recounts the gut-churning fears of every parent whose previously healthy child is suddenly struck down by a life-threatening illness. Heersink is now an advocate for the reform of archaic food inspection laws; her book is part medical mystery, part diary. You'll never look at hamburger the same way after reading it. Recommended for consumer health collections. [For another story of a mother dealing with a child's infectious illness, see Nancy Cain's Healing the Child, reviewed above.?Ed.]?Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hospital Lib., N.Y.
-?Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hospital Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: New Horizon Press (July 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882821431
• ISBN-13: 978-0882821436
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,677,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educational, heart-wrenching, September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: E.coli 0157 (Hardcover)

This is a well written, informative book. My heart went out to the Heersink family, as I have children of my own. As a nurse, I read this book from a professional view and as a mother, from an emotional view. It is very fortunate that Damion's father was in the medical profession and that he knew that transfusions were necessary to help his son recover. E-coli is normally found in the intestines, however new strains are emerging and they are deadly, if not identified quickly and appropriately treated. This book is well written, and understandable from both medical and layman perspectives.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible - heartbreaking and informative!, September 28, 2000

By 

Sandy Gilder (Littleton, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: E.coli 0157 (Hardcover)

This was an incredible book. I read it several years ago and still recommend it to others. It is so informative, and makes you very aware of the dangers of E. coli. I am the Chairman of Health & Safety at my son's elementary school. I think part of the reason I am doing it is to educate parents on issues such as this. It touched me deeply.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mother and son's fight for life, December 26, 2008

By 

Tamara Black "T. Black" (Titusville, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: E.coli 0157 (Hardcover)

This book is a true story about a boy named Damion who was struck down by a mysterious microbe...E-coli. Mary, the mother and also wife of a doctor is torn between guilt for not recognizing her son's symptoms earlier and anger for the lack of regulations when it comes to testing meat. Damion was at a boy scout camp when he ate several hamburgers, which were not cooked well and a few days later he became very ill. He was hospitalized and fought a roller coaster ride of dangerous attacks on his organs by the microbe. First his kidneys almost failed, he had to be placed on dialysis, the his lungs filled with fluid and he had to be on a respirator. Meanwhile his father Marnix, who happened to be a doctor is fully involved in his son's treatment plan. Marnix becomes exhausted because of his double role as a father to Damion and as a doctor who knows the dangers that lie ahead. This book is very well written and will keep the reader on the edge of the seat. I had a hard time putting the book down. The character development is amazing, because the reader can practically see the people that are presented in the book, from doctors, to nurses to friends, even when a character has not been developed as well as another, the importance of that person will become clear in the book sooner or later. This is an amazing story of courage from a family who may lose their son to the deadly e-coli bacteria.