A 15-year-old high school freshman is hospitalized with serious complications from food poisoning after eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers three times in the previous weeks a deadly E. coli outbreak was detected.

Kamberlyn Bowler of Grand Junction, Colorado, had to be flown 250 miles to a hospital near Denver in mid-October, where she received dialysis for 10 days in an urgent effort to save her kidneys.

She is one of at least 75 people who have fallen ill and 22 have been hospitalized in the outbreak that has been blamed on contaminated onions. In Mesa County, where Kamberlyn lives, 11 people have become ill and one person has died. Federal health officials said chopped onions used on the burgers are a likely source of the outbreak.

The ordeal left Kamberlyn’s mother, Brittany Randall, concerned for her daughter’s health and horrified at the idea that a civilian could cause so much damage.

“It’s pretty scary to know that we put so much faith in the fact that we’re going to eat something that’s healthy and it breaks down,” says Randall.

She is going to sue the fast food chain after Kamberlyn was infected with it the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria confirmed during the outbreak.

That bacteria produces a dangerous toxin that medical experts say can cause a serious kidney disease complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome. Many children are hospitalized for weeks and some require kidney transplants, said Dr. Myda Khalid, a kidney specialist at Riley Hospital for Children in Indiana who is not involved in Kamberlyn’s care.

“Time is of the essence,” Khalid said. “We have to get through this window, and with great care,” she said.

The condition can be fatal, but most children eventually recover, she said.

Kamberlyn said she ate McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with cheese, extra pickles and onions three times between September 27 and October 8. She said the burgers were easy to grab during soccer recess and while watching a softball game at school.

She began to feel nauseous over the next few days and suffered from fever, vomiting, diarrhea and painful stomach cramps.

“I couldn’t get out of bed,” she remembers. “I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t drink. I survived on Popsicles. I felt bad.”

Randall, who works as a prison guard, has three older children and thought her young daughter might have the flu. But when Kamberlyn texted to say she had blood in her stool and urine and was vomiting blood, Randall said she knew it was serious.

On October 11, Kamberlyn went to a hospital in Grand Junction. Doctors said she probably had a stomach flu. She was sent home with instructions to stay hydrated. On October 17, she felt no better and returned to the emergency room. Tests then showed Kamberlyn was in acute kidney failure, her mother said. She was flown to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, near Denver, where she remained Tuesday.

Chris Kempczinski, chairman, president and CEO of McDonald’s, apologized for the outbreak during a conference call with investors on Tuesday.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers,” said Kempczinksi. “The recent surge in E. coli cases is very concerning, and hearing reports about the impact of this on our customers has been difficult for us.”

Randall said her daughter’s future health — and medical costs — are uncertain.

“The hospital bills are mounting,” she says. “And I’m a single mom and I just don’t know if I can necessarily afford everything that’s going to come after all of this. And I don’t know what the future looks like either.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.