Family begs for answers after nearly losing son to E. coli AVON, Ind. (WISH) — An Avon family is begging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for answers after their 10-year-old nearly died from E. coli. Fourth grader Colton George began experiencing a stomach ache and several bouts of diarrhea around Nov. 10. He had gotten treatment for a tooth infection not too long before and received antibiotics to help with the healing process. His parents, Chris and Amber, believed his upset stomach was likely due to the antibiotics. But, on Nov. 17, Amber rushed her baseball-loving kid to the emergency room after the pain escalated. “On Nov. 17, my wife called me,” Chris said. “I was at the firehouse, she said, ‘Hey, I need to take him to the emergency room. He is doubled over in pain.'” The family arrived to the ER and was begging for answers. Soon later, they were transferred to Riley Children’s Hospital. After first being told Colton had colitis, he was later diagnosed with Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome — prompting his kidneys to fail. “They said the first three days were going to be deadly, probably,” Colton said. “There were ten doctors standing outside of his room, and Amber standing out there, just balling her eyes out,” Chris said. For the next 18 days, Colton was confined to a hospital bed. For 11 of them, he needed around-the-clock dialysis. For Chris, a Wayne Township firefighter, the sight of his son was hard to bear. “That was devastating, to say the least, to sit there and see your child have a tube down his throat on a ventilator,” Chris said. “It’s something that nobody needs to see.” Colton celebrated his 10th birthday in a hospital room, but his community showed up for him in droves. Chris said many of his friends, family, and people they’d never met came alongside their family. “I did give him a lot of gifts to make him feel better,” Colton’s friend, Connor Burnell, said. The resilient now 10-year-old was eventually released and made the journey home back to Avon. After weeks in a hospital bed and away from home, then came the monthslong quest for answers. Colton’s parents became fixed on finding out exactly who and what was responsible for their son nearly losing his life. “Just trying to narrow it down … we got bank records out, got the Meijer Rewards and try to go through receipts that way just to see what we bought,” Chris said. Chris spent hours contacting the Indiana Department of Health and eventually received Colton’s whole genome sequencing data. The data reveals a link between Colton’s illness and an E. coli 0157 outbreak that’s affected 88 people across 12 states. At the end of the year, the FDA released information saying romaine lettuce was linked to the outbreak, although they’ve not confirmed it is absolutely linked to Colton’s sickness. Chris then became focused on making sure he learned who supplied the specific lettuce that likely sickened Colton. He’s made dozens of calls and sent countless emails, all without any specific answers. “In the first two or three days, we didn’t know if my son was going to survive or not,” Chris said. “So, frustration, not being able to get an answer from the FDA has really … it makes you upset, you know, you should be able to call somebody that’s working for you, as federal government, and get answers, and they won’t supply anything.” The family’s food safety lawyer, Bill Marler, says the FDA has run traceback tests and knows who the supplier is. They believe the public has a right to know, too. Colton George’s whole-genome sequencing data listed in red. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George) Family begs for answers after son nearly dies from E. coli. (Provided Photo/Chris George)