A STOURBRIDGE family have spoken of the heart-wrenching battle their three-year-old daughter went through after contracting a potentially deadly infection during her summer holiday.

Harriet Homer from Norton was taken ill four weeks ago with a life-threatening strain of E. coli which can be caught by eating contaminated food or direct contact with animals with the bacteria.

The youngster's parents say her condition deteriorated rapidly after she first complained of stomach ache so when she failed to improve after an emergency visit to the GP they took her to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

At first it was thought she may have been suffering from Norovirus and after being given anti-sickness medication she was sent home 24 hours later.

But there were still no signs of improvement and 48 hours on the family received a phone call from the hospital saying E. coli had been detected following earlier tests so Harriet was swiftly readmitted.

Over the next four to five days the youngster's condition remained the same – although the sickness stopped. But at this point her worried parents Dave and Laura Homer were told her kidneys had failed.

Mr Homer said: “Heartbreak did not come close.

“Her kidneys were blocked by the toxins produced from the E. coli - therefore there wasn’t any urine being filtered out by the kidneys so it was being circulated in the blood.

“Only time would tell if they would heal themselves or if they would never recover and it would be dialysis for life - with other health complications or even worse.”

But after around a week on dialysis, which filters toxins from the blood, Harriet's condition began to improve - and finally after two weeks her bloods returned to almost normal and medics were able to stop dialysis - and she has since been discharged from hospital.

Mr Homer said: “She’s not completely cured yet but definitely heading in the right direction and we will never know the long-term outcome until something happens but she is back to being her happy little drama queen self again, which we all love so much.”

He added: “We cannot thank Birmingham Children's Hospital enough for what they have done especially the dialysis nurses as they were our rock over the past couple of weeks. It was a roller coaster but we feel we have won.”

They’ve also issued a big thank you to friends and family who have been checking in to see how Harriet was progressing and Mr Homer said: "We will never forget it and realise what an unbelievable family and friends network we have.”

Harriet's brother Joe, aged five, also contracted the infection but did not suffer any serious ill health from it.

It is thought Harriet may have contracted the O157 strain of the infection after visiting a petting farm but a spokesman for Public Health England said its West Midlands Health Protection Team worked closely with environmental health colleagues from Dudley Council and that "laboratory tests have not identified any link to the outdoor attractions visited" by the family during the holiday.

Dr Naveed Syed, consultant with PHE West Midlands Health Protection Team, said: “During spring and summer, especially over holiday periods, there is generally an increase in gastro-intestinal infections which are often associated with a range of activities such as barbecues and picnics, where food has been poorly stored or cooked; through to farm or park visits, where infections can be picked up by handling or stroking animals. Good hand hygiene for all and supervised hand hygiene for small children is essential to minimise the risk of developing a stomach bug.

“E. coli O157 is a relatively rare infection that causes a spectrum of illness ranging from mild through to severe bloody diarrhoea, mostly without fever. Sometimes the infection can cause a condition called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) which affects the kidneys and can be very serious. Young children and elderly people are more prone to development of complications associated with E. coli O157.”

The Homers, from Whittington Road, are now trying to raise awareness about the risks associated with E. coli so that no other family has to go through what they experienced.

They are also trying to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and are asking others to donate via Facebook - www.facebook.com/BirminghamChildrensHospital.