text: Oakleigh Ryan Nance has been a true blessing ever since the moment she entered this world at 3 pounds. She was small and premature, but she was and is a fighter. Oakleigh started off on 4 liters of oxygen and within 3 days she was breathing nothing but air and saturating between 98 and 100%. In the NICU, they used to call her Miss Sassy because of her ability to express her displeasure with her circumstances.Oakleigh had grown normally and her health was excellent up until a couple of months ago when she came down with a sudden fever. Out of nowhere, her fever spiked to 104. It just so happened that Oakleigh had a severe UTI that probably had invaded her kidneys.After going on antibiotics, the fever went away but returned a week later. She has battled with reoocurring infections over the latest months and was then hospitalized for further testing.The tests revealed that Oakleigh has stage 3 kidney reflux.This is rather common with this condition, but the bacteria associated with her infection was a dangerous, antibiotic resistant strain of Pseudomonas.While she was in the hospital, tests were done on her heart which revealed moderate ASD and pulmonary stenosis.This is especially concerning when you consider the infection and the involvement of the kidneys.Oakleigh is currently scheduled for surgery at the end of this month.They will be operating to fix the reflux in her left kidney, which now has 22% functionality, in hopes to eliminate future infections.This will be about a 4 ½ hour procedure.Her left kidney is actually 2 kidneys, with 2 different ureters which will have to be cut back to a length that will prevent reflux.She will also have to have a pocket on the outside of the kidney removed.The next step after healing from the surgery is to meet with the cardiologist to discuss additional testing for her heart condition.Oakleigh has a long road ahead of her, but God has her hand every step of the way and for that we are extreemly thankful.Oakleigh is surrounded by a loving and supportive family and on their behalf, we thank you for your support.God Bless! ||||| What is a pseudomonas infection? 
   
   A pseudomonas infection is caused by a very common type of bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa (say "soo-duh-MOH-nuss ay-roo-jee-NOH-suh"). 
   
   Healthy people often carry these bacteria around without knowing it and without having any problems. Sometimes these germs cause minor problems like swimmer's ear and hot tub rash. But for people who are weak or ill, these germs can cause very serious-even deadly-infections in any part of the body. 
   
   Recommended Related to Health A-Z Aspergillosis Important It is possible that the main title of the report Aspergillosis is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report. Read the Aspergillosis article > > 
   
   The infections are hard to treat because the bacteria can resist many types of antibiotics, the medicines normally used to kill bacteria. 
   
   Who gets this infection? 
   
   People in the hospital may get this infection. In hospitals, the bacteria can spread through medical equipment, cleaning solutions, and other equipment. They can even spread through food. When they spread to patients who are weak because of illness, surgery, or treatment, they can cause very serious infections. For example, pseudomonas is one of the main causes of pneumonia in patients who are on breathing machines. 
   
   Burn victims and people with puncture wounds may get dangerous pseudomonas infections of the blood, bone, or urinary tract. The bacteria can also get into the body through IV needles or catheters. 
   
   These bacteria like moist environments, such as hot tubs and swimming pools, where they can cause a skin rash or swimmer's ear. 
   
   People who wear contact lenses can get serious eye infections if the bacteria get into their contact lens solutions. This can happen if you aren't careful about keeping your contact lenses and equipment sterile. 
   
   What are the symptoms? 
   
   Symptoms depend on where the infection is. If it's in a wound, there may be green-blue pus in or around the area. If you have swimmer's ear, your ear aches. If the infection causes pneumonia, you may get a cough. When the infections are elsewhere in the body, you may have a fever and feel tired. But all pseudomonas infections can make you very sick if they spread through the bloodstream (septicemia). A serious infection can cause symptoms of high fever, chills, confusion, and shock. ||||| OKLAHOMA CITY - An Oklahoma infant is fighting for her life inside a metro hospital. 
   
   She isn’t even a year old yet, but doctors say she’s contracted a “super strain” of E. coli. 
   
   Her family doesn’t know how she contracted the serious bacterial infection, and investigators with the CDC are looking into the case. 
   
   Oakleigh Nance has been in and out of the hospital for months after she was born with a kidney issue. 
   
   Now, her family is hoping she can fight off this disease before an upcoming kidney surgery that could save her life. 
   
   Oakleigh is just 11-months-old. 
   
   “She has such a great personality. When she’s feeling good, she’s rambunctious, just like any other normal kid,” said Chris Curtis, Oakleigh's grandfather. 
   
   Oakleigh was born premature, weighing only three pounds. 
   
   She spent a lot of time in the NICU, but she went home and seemed to be in perfect health for six months. 
   
   Then, the trouble began. 
   
   Oakleigh came down with a bacterial infection. 
   
   She went back to the hospital, and on Monday, her family got the awful news. 
   
   She was diagnosed with a critical case of E. coli. 
   
   “With this strain of E. coli, it can get in her brain, it can get in her spinal cord, basically cause her to go into cardiac arrest. And we heard that it was a very, very scary situation,” Curtis said. 
   
   What’s also concerning, Curtis says, is that because Oakleigh has already had so many antibiotics for those previous health issues, the family is running out of options. 
   
   "The real problem that Oakleigh faces is the fact that at such a young age, she’s been exposed to so many antibiotics. The E. coli she has is resistant to a lot of antibiotics that are out there,” Curtis said. 
   
   While doctors race against the clock, Oakleigh’s family says their faith is what’s keeping them going. 
   
   “I know that God is in control of all else, and when I think about what’s going on in her life, I think about my faith in God. That’s what sustains me and gets me through it,” Curtis said. 
   
   Oakleigh’s kidney surgery is scheduled for the second week in August. 
   
   Now, her family is trying to raise money through a GoFundMe account to cover those medical expenses. 
   
   See a mistake? Report a typo here.
target: – An Oklahoma girl diagnosed with "super" E. coli is facing a life-or-death battle—and worse, she's only 11 months old. "With this strain of E. coli, it can get in her brain, it can get in her spinal cord, basically cause her to go into cardiac arrest," her grandfather, Chris Curtis, tells KFOR. "And we heard that it was a very, very scary situation." Her family says it's not clear how Oakleigh Nance got the infection, which appears resistant to antibiotics, but the CDC is investigating. It all started when Oakleigh was born premature at only 3 pounds and "started off on 4 liters of oxygen," according to a GoFundMe page to help pay her medical bills. "In the NICU, they used to call her Miss Sassy because of her ability to express her displeasure with her circumstances," the page says. Then she went home and was fine for months until a 104-degree temperature and severe urinary tract infection sent her back to the hospital. Since then, she's been diagnosed with moderate ASD and pulmonary stenosis of the heart, stage 3 kidney reflux, and "a dangerous, antibiotic resistant strain of Pseudomonas," says the GoFundMe page. Now doctors are planning a 4 1/2-hour procedure on her kidney, which is functioning at 22%, to possibly prevent other infections. "I know that God is in control of all else, and when I think about what’s going on in her life, I think about my faith in God," says Curtis. "That’s what sustains me and gets me through it." (Read about a brain-eating bacteria that has returned to Louisiana.)