Tragedy reminds parents to be vigilant

At La Costa Heights Elementary School last week, we remembered the life and December 1992 death of first-grader Lauren Rudolph. A memorial garden on campus was rededicated to her, after refurbishing and replanting, and it is lovely.
Some will remember who 6-year-old Lauren was when I note she was one of the first deaths diagnosed from the E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria, found in undercooked beef. All it took was one fast-food cheeseburger and within days she was gone.
It is a time and a death I can never forget. My daughter was just a year behind Lauren at the same school. For every parent, our worst nightmare was suddenly within arm’s reach. When the news first spread that one of our own had died, they still thought it was caused by influenza, as initial symptoms are similar. “No,” we cried in unison. “Children don’t die from the flu in 20th-century California … do they?”
It became even more terrifying when the answer was made clear. No, children generally do not die from the flu, but they do die horrible, painful deaths from the overwhelming poison of contaminated food. E. coli has been traced to contaminated beef, unpasteurized cheese and even crops contaminated by steer manure. Lauren’s E. coli came from a fast food restaurant where every mother I knew had taken their child at one time or another. In short, it could so easily have been any of our children who ate that burger, and then slowly died in our arms.
I don’t believe that stark reality has ever left me and I can only stand and applaud Roni Rudolph, Lauren’s mother, for all she has accomplished on behalf of Lauren and children everywhere. She is the co-founder of Safe Tables Our Priority, or S.T.O.P., a grassroots organization representing families and friends who have suffered from foodborne illness.
There are youngsters everywhere and every day who are alive and healthy because Lauren’s mother would not rest until her baby’s true cause of death was found, the culprit named and new regulations put in place. It took years of relentless effort to make all that happen and it is still a battle being fought. But through the ongoing effort of S.T.O.P., many people have had their consciousness raised on the lethal dangers of E. coli, salmonella, listeria and campylobacter. I am deeply grateful to Roni for that, and will remain so forever.
There is still no cure for E. coli 0157:H7. The only hope is prevention and early recognition and treatment of symptoms. Even if the victim survives, serious lifelong damage is done. For Lauren and Roni and for every grandparent, parent or parent-to-be, I ask that we remember and stay watchful always.