Most people pick up a C. diff infection in a health care setting, but more and more it’s out in the community. KNOW THE SIGNS – this disease can kill.Dancing at my wedding with my Dad

If you know what a scourge C. diff is, go straight to the excellent revised website of the Peggy Lillis Memorial Foundation. But if it’s new to you: C. diff is a bacteria that causes a nasty infection of the lower digestive tract. It kills 30,000 people a year, and makes many more absolutely miserable. Most of us learn about it the hard way. In 2005 my father went into the hospital for surgery on his neck, but two days after surgery, a C. diff infection ruptured his intestines. He survived for 6 months, thanks to immediate removal of his colon and vigilant medical care. But complications ultimately took his life.

Christian John Lillis, my friend and colleague, lost his mom Peggy to C. diff, after she took antibiotics for routine dental work. Within days, she felt sick; a week after the dental appointment, the 56-year-old kindergarten teacher was gone. Christian and his brother Liam created the Peggy Lillis Memorial Foundation in her memory. They’re determined to wipe out C. diff through education and advocacy. Their new website is just wonderful– chock full of information, stories, links and ways you can help. Please read, share, and learn.

Peggy Lillis surrounded by her sons, Liam (l) and Christian, 1994