JC Smith visited the McDonald’s where he had gone numerous times with his wife and ordered the usual: a quarter pound.
But a few days later, on October 3, the 88-year-old Colorado native and Marine veteran became seriously ill, experiencing bloody diarrhea and dizziness so severe that he could no longer walk. He was rushed to the hospital and was hospitalized for four days.
After his release, doctors informed him that lab results revealed he had E. coli.
While a health department official interviewed the family and said they were investigating an E. coli outbreak, they did not reveal a potential source, so the Smiths thought nothing of avoiding returning to their favorite McDonald’s.
Some time after his return home, Smith, who had visited McDonald’s several times in late September, returned to the fast food chain and ordered another quarter pounder.
He got sick again, but this time it was much worse. Mr. Smith was in excruciating pain that was so intense that he shook his arms and legs. His daughter, Debbie Bonnell, said that during this episode they held his hand and prayed.
He died on October 20, and public health officials announced the outbreak two days later and revealed that the likely source of E. coli was quarter-pound onions.
And although both Mr. Smith and his wife, Doris Smith, ate the fast food giant’s famous Quarter Pounder, Mrs. Smith doesn’t like onions and gave hers to her husband.
Mrs. Smith said CBS Colorado: ‘I took mine off and gave it to him. Now I feel guilty because I gave him some onions.
JC Smith, pictured above, showed no signs of slowing down despite his 88 years, his daughter said.
Mr Smith is pictured above with his wife Doris, who said she now feels guilty because she used to give him the onions in his burger.
At least 90 people in 13 states have fallen ill from the outbreak; 27 people have been hospitalized and Mr. Smith is the only death related to the outbreak.
And at least two people, a 15-year-old girl and an 88-year-old woman, have developed serious kidney complications, which could force them to need treatment for the rest of their lives.
Authorities have now revealed that chopped onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders were likely the source of the outbreak. The onions come from Taylor Farms, which is based in California.
The company recalled its products and McDonald’s removed the Quarter Pounder from the menu. The hamburger is back, but in 700 restaurants it is served without onions.
Earlier this week, DailyMail.com revealed that one of the victims of the outbreak was 17-year-old Silas Mayes.
The lively teenager, who lost 10 pounds due to his infection, has difficulty completing daily tasks.
In Mr. Smith’s case, his illness left him so sick that he couldn’t walk, his daughter said.
He added: ‘My mother had been awake all night. He had been in the bathroom all night and had bloody diarrhea and was very weak.
“When I got here, I was so weak I couldn’t walk.”
He died on October 20, and public health officials revealed the outbreak and its possible source (chopped onions) two days later.
Mr. Smith appears above riding a horse. During his second illness, he was described as being in excruciating pain.
Mr. Smith was in the emergency room for four days receiving treatment and, upon being discharged, was interviewed by a county health official.
Bonnell said: ‘(The health department worker) asked where my parents were eating because there was some kind of outbreak.
‘But they still weren’t going to say where. She didn’t tell us not to go out to eat anymore.’
The family didn’t know there were restaurants they should avoid, so they returned to McDonald’s.
It was not until two days after Mr. Smith’s death that the health department informed the public of a possible outbreak.
Now, the Smith family has said they share their story because they care about others.
Mr Smith’s grandson, Jim Smith, said: ‘If you are in that line of work… and you lose your level of concern or become complacent, accidents happen.
—Then you will have to be held accountable. And when you’re talking about taking people’s loved ones and changing their lives permanently, others need to know.’
While the Smiths have said they do not yet plan to take legal action, the restaurant chain is already facing several lawsuits over the outbreak.
McDonald’s previously said the cases were “devastating.”
A spokesperson added: “We know that people and families have been significantly affected and the wellbeing of our customers is deeply important to us.”
Other victims included Silas Mayes, 17, of Colorado, who visited McDonald’s with his father for lunch in early October.
The burger looked and tasted normal, but three days later he woke up in the night suffering from bloody diarrhea and cramps that were “the worst pain I’ve ever experienced”, he told DailyMail.com.
He lost 10 pounds due to the infection and is still “very weak,” struggling to return to his daily tasks.