Several months ago, the Faucheauxs sat in front of their Christmas tree for a family portrait – Tuesday they sat in the courtyard of Children’s Hospital with family and friends praying for a miracle.

“I prayed over her left hand and I said God I want to see you move, I said touch this hand first and show me a sign and that’s the hand that started to get better – and I told the doctor and he said well come pray over this one because this one’s not as good,” said Jessica Faucheaux, the mother of five-year-old Madison who is fighting for her life in the intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital.

It started out one day when Madison’s parents were asked to pick her up from school for what seemed like the flu, but as the hours went by her body began to shut down and go into shock.

“The doctor who was treating her at the time – Dr. Oubre – said you know this could be just from wiping wrong, she had a history of urinary tract infections,” Jessica Faucheaux said.

A urinary tract infection can happen to anyone of any age – even with parents changing a baby’s diaper the wrong way, but it is more common in girls and women.

If people wipe themselves after using the bathroom from back to front they can move bacteria from the colon into the urinary tract. From there in it can go into the kidneys and blood stream and become devastating. That is why doctors say it’s important to clean from front to back and always wash hands after using the bathroom.

Madison is infected with E. Coli bacteria that can live in our gastrointestinal systems – and that may be how she got sick.

“It’s not as uncommon as you think, it’s just that usually it doesn’t run away with young people like this and in this unfortunate case it did lead to kidney failure and the lung failure and blood pressure problems,” said Dr. Steve Levine, Dir. PICU Children’s Hospital.

Madison’s mother said a recent brain scan was not good and all four of her limbs may need to be amputated, but she is not strong enough to go through the surgery.

But the family is forever grateful to the hundreds of many strangers who have donated blood in her name and all the support from doctors and nurses.

“They are doing their best, they are preparing us for the worst the best they can but it’s still really really hard,” said Ted Faucheaux, Madison’s father.

Dr. Levine says it is important for parents to call or bring children to a doctor when they get sick, and not to wait to see if they will get better.