My son’s organs failed after I gave him trendy milk loved by RFK Jr

Mary McGonigle-Martin always stayed up to date on the latest wellness trends, so when she heard about the supposed benefits of raw milk, she started stocking her family’s refrigerator with it.

Weeks passed without any problems, but then her seven-year-old son Chris became violently ill with diarrhea and vomiting, followed by terrifying seizures.

Doctors discovered he had suffered a life-threatening brain infection and a collapsed lung, while his kidneys, heart and pancreas all started to shut down.

Research showed that the boy was infected with the E.coli bacteria. It was believed to come from raw milk, which does not undergo the standard pasteurization process to remove germs.

Chris was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which causes small blood clots throughout the body, wreaking havoc on organs and putting him on the brink of death.

McGonigle-Martin told the CDC at the time of the terrifying ordeal in 2006, “Really, I thought at that moment he was going to die.”

After a week in a coma and three years in and out of the hospital, Chris recovered. But almost twenty years later, raw milk is more popular than ever due to the growing demand for organic products.

At least 4.4 percent of Americans (nearly 11 million people) try raw milk every year, and one of its most famous proponents, Robert F Kennedy Jr., has been nominated by newly elected President Donald Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Unbearable guilt: Mary McGonigle-Martin made her son drink milk at the age of seven – the decision weighs heavily on her

Pasteurization was a major breakthrough in public health when the process was discovered by French microbiologist Louis Pasteur.

It dramatically reduced the risk of foodborne illness by effectively killing harmful bacteria in milk and other food products.

But in recent decades, proponents have argued that pasteurization removes nutrients that help with allergies, asthma and digestive problems.

However, according to the FDAThis process – which involves heating the milk to kill bacteria – has no significant effect on its nutritional value, nor does it remove ‘probiotic microorganisms’ that support gut health.

Many of the same health claims were made when McGonigle-Martin became convinced to try raw milk.

“I was given a false sense of security,” she said.

The only warnings she could find at the time were that it could cause mild stomach pain as the body adjusted to the switch.

But she added: ‘The risk of drinking raw milk is not a stomach ache for a few days or diarrhea and vomiting that goes away. The risk is that the pathogen can kill you.’

In Chris’s case, when he arrived at the hospital and his condition worsened, doctors put him on dialysis so a machine could filter his blood for him and compensate for his damaged kidneys.

Chris was on dialysis for 18 days and was in a medically induced coma on a ventilator for nine days.

Although these measures saved his life, his mother said it took three years for her son’s health to fully recover.

Now she has become an outspoken advocate for foodborne illness and serves on the board of the nonprofit Stop Foodborne Illness.

She’s speaking out again as raw milk makes headlines again.

After a week in a coma and three years in and out of the hospital, Chris recovered. But almost twenty years later, raw milk is more popular than ever due to the growing demand for organic products

This week, bird flu was found in raw milk from a raw food creamery in California, raising concerns.

And men/a post on X in OctoberRFK JR reaffirmed his support for raw milk – which he has suggested could be a way to make America healthy again – his campaign against vaccines and processed foods and a push for alternative medicine.

A range of harmful bacteria can enter dairy, either from the milk itself or from improper sanitation on the farm. This includes bacteria such as Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Listeria, Brucella, Salmonella and E.coli, which caused Chris’ illness.

Once in the digestive system, certain strains of E.coli can infiltrate the bloodstream in the intestines, damaging small blood vessels and leading to a massive number of small blood clots that support the organs, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

This is called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Once old blood cells and clots clog the kidneys, the kidneys can no longer filter waste from the body, meaning the buildup of toxins floods the bloodstream. This can cause damage to other organs.

To treat HUS, doctors give patients IV fluids, blood transfusions, and nutrients to try to strengthen the body so it can fight back against the infection.

Proponents of raw milk claim the product is healthier than the regular stuff because pasteurization removes nutrients

One of the most famous advocates for raw milk, Robert F Kennedy Jr., has been nominated by newly elected President Donald Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Recently, California-based Raw Farm LLC was found to have dairy products containing bird flu last week.

The farm is one of the largest dairy sellers in the state and the company has issued a voluntary recall on all of their products suspected of containing the virus.

The outbreak was caused by the H5N1 virus.

Officials have been on alert about the bird flu strain after the virus suddenly switched to cows in 2022, which they say increases the risk it could spread to humans.

So far, more than 100 million poultry have been infected, as well as 10,000 wild birds and 500 dairy herds in 15 states.

Since Chris became ill in 2006, McGonigle-Martin has become a spokesperson against raw milk and other products that have the potential to cause foodborne illness. Pictured here, she spoke to the CDC about Chris’ experience

Fifty-three people in the US have been infected, mostly farm workers who have close contact with cows or poultry.

Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University, said: “This is not surprising given how quickly H5N1 appears to be spreading among California farms, and given that these farm outbreaks are being detected in large part as result of bulk testing on raw milk from farms.’

According to the American Dairy Association, many of these dairy-related diseases were eradicated when pasteurization became common after its introduction in 1864.

States such as Louisiana, Michigan and New Jersey prohibit the sale of raw milk. In other states, such as California, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, the product is allowed in general retail sales.