Courier Staff Writer Amy Ehrnreiter reports that Barney Phillips of Bedford, Kentucky, plans to set up the foundation in memory of his son, Patrick, who died at age 5 on June 13 of shigella.
Patrick loved Spiderman and wanted to be a superhero. A foundation established in his memory may help carry on Patrick’s ambitions.
It wasn’t until this week they learned the cause of his death was shigella, an infectious disease caused by a group of bacteria. Those infected experience severe diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps up to 24 hours after exposure to the bacterium, according to the Web site of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease, which is not commonly fatal, affected most of the Phillips family. Barney Phillips’ wife, Sarah Phillips, and their other two children, Josh, 4, and Vicki, 2, also displayed symptoms of shigella.
Barney Phillips thinks the family was exposed to the bacteria at a fast-food restaurant while in Indianapolis at a “Reconciling the Kingdom” convention June 8.
