E. Coli 0157, written by Mary Heersink, is the nerve-wracking, adrenaline-filled story of a mother's experience with a then-unknown deadly bacterium. The book provokes many reactions in its readers, in particular the questioning of the practice of doctors in hospitals. The reader's basic knowledge of scientific procedures in emergency centers has been expanded as has knowledge of how the human body reacts to different agents in its system. For Mary Heersink, all is well. And anything that isn't right can be fixed. That's how things are. Mary's husband, Marnix, is a doctor in their home state of Alabama. The book opens with Marnix applying for a medical license in Florida, even though he already has licenses in eleven other states. Mary doesn't agree with the hard work Marnix is ​​putting in for something he doesn't need, but eventually gives in and lets him do what he wants. February is a busy month for Heersink. Bayne, the youngest son, is turning nine, Sebastian is going to camp, and eleven-year-old Damion is going to a Boy Scout camp and will have a soccer tournament when he gets back. Confusion is common in the house, so Mary learns to deal with it. Sending Damion to the campsite, Mary notices that some hamburger meat has been left out. She doesn't question herself much: she is a mother, she is made to worry about everything. He puts the worry aside and regrets it later. Damion returns home and spends Friday night at a friend's house before the big football game and the road trip to Florida to send his brother Sebastian to camp the next day. Damion is not well. He is pale, has a stomach ache and a certain lightness pervades his body. Mary, as any mother would, stops at the pharmacy on her way to the game and buys Pepto-Bismol, among other things, to make her son feel better. This would be another thing he would soon learn to regret. They eventually make the road trip, even as Damion's illness continues to worsen. The situation becomes so serious that Damion is eventually hospitalized. Antibiotics are administered. The doctors at the first hospital don't help enough, so Damion is transferred to St. Joseph. The days in hospital are described as a roller coaster ride. Damion is hallucinating, asking for water and his organs are coming out one by one.