A girl in Massachusetts has died from E coli after eating at her favorite fast food restaurant.
Angelica Vazquez, 6, ordered a cheeseburger from her local McDonald’s before a night of trick-or-treating on Halloween this year.
The following evening, the elementary schooler told her mother, Samantha Ocasio, that she was feeling sick.
Ms Ocasio asked Angelica if she needed to see a doctor, but her daughter said: ‘No, my belly just hurts.’
So the mother-of-seven assumed she just had an ordinary stomach bug and had her drink Gatorade and relax in front of the TV.
On November 2, following a bubble bath, Angelica fell unconscious in her mother’s arms after telling her: ‘I love you.’ Those would be her final words.
By the time the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the girl who was always ‘very grateful for everything and anything she had’ was in cardiac arrest.
Ms Ocasio said: ‘It was fast. It was really, really fast.’
Angelica Vazquez (pictured here), 6, died earlier this month from E coli, which lead to a gastrointestinal bleeding and cardiac arrest. Her family suspects eating at McDonald’s two days earlier could be to blame
The onions from the burgers (pictured) have been at the center of an investigation into an E coli outbreak
Just 12 hours after arriving at the hospital, Angelica died from E coli, a deadly bacteria potentially linked to slivered yellow onions at McDonald’s restaurants in 14 states.
More than 100 Americans have been sickened so far, with 34 hospitalized. An older man in Colorado died last month from the illness.
There have been no confirmed E coli cases linked to the outbreak in Massachusetts and it was thought only one item was affected: McDonald’s’ Quarter Pounder burger.
Angelica had eaten a regular cheeseburger. But her family suspects that eating at the restaurant could be to blame.
Ms Ocasio told MassLive: ‘My whole concern is “OK, if it wasn’t the McDonald’s, what is it?”‘
In the US, there are about 265,000 cases of E.coli every year and more than 100 people die from the disease, according to health officials.
Infections are caused by eating contaminated food, such as ground beef — where a contaminated part of an animal’s intestine has seeped into the supply — vegetables — which may have been grown using contaminated water — and unpasteurized milk.
Patients usually start to suffer symptoms three to four days after being infected, although they can be delayed more than a week later.
These include diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea, which may clear up within a few days.
If people start to suffer from diarrhea that is persistent, severe or bloody, however, it is recommended that they seek urgent care in hospital.
In severe cases, E coli toxins have been shown to travel to the heart and cause inflammation, putting increased stress on the organ. This could lead to cardiac arrest.
Ms Ocasio didn’t learn her daughter’s cause of death until she read the death certificate. At the hospital, she says doctors refused to provide answers.
They only told her that Angelica suffered brain damage, which could have been caused by E coli breaching the blood-brain barrier and traveling to the central nervous system, leading to inflammation and cutting off oxygen to the organ.
Ms Ocasio said: ‘They just kept telling me, “She’s too sick. She’s too sick.”‘
Angelica’s death certificate revealed cardiac arrest, acute gastrointestinal bleeding, and a positive E coli test.
There have been no confirmed E coli cases in Massachusetts from the outbreak at McDonald’s, according to the above map from the CDC
Angelica’s mother, Samantha Ocasio, is now focused on sharing her daughter’s story to save another child’s life. She told MassLive: ‘I feel like my job now is to spread awareness’
It’s unclear if Angelica’s infection was caused by the burger she ate at McDonald’s. Earlier this month, Grimmway Farms annoounced a recall of its organic baby and whole carrots due to E coli contamination.
Affected products were sold in 18 states, sickening 39 people and hospitalizing 15. One person has died.
Ms Ocasio is now focused on keeping her other six children, all under the age of 10, safe and preserving her daughter’s memory by making necklaces for each of her siblings.
Ms Ocasio said: ‘They get to wear those everywhere. We talk about her. They know they’re more than welcome to talk about her.
‘And I check their mental health every morning and before bed. And in between, we just do a lot of talking and a lot of crying together.’
She also noted that she wants to share her daughter’s story in hopes of saving another child’s life.
‘I feel like my job now is to spread awareness,’ she said.
