Cassie had been exposed to the deadly E Coli bacteria that she had contracted from a local restaurant due to improper food handling. Simple as that! We had been out to eat over the rushed holiday season, just as many of you had as well. Little did we know it would change our lives forever! Not only had the E Coli made her extremely sick, it had caused another condition known as HUS (Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome). Simply put, HUS destroys red blood cells and in turn causes organ failure, usually affecting the kidneys first.