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In April 2010, Peggy Lillis, then 56, underwent a root canal procedure, and the dentist prescribed clindamycin, an antibiotic, for a suspected abscess. Soon after, she came down with what

she thought was a stomach virus. The illness progressed to the point of her being rushed to the hospital. Turns out, she had _C. diff_, an antibiotic-induced bacterial infection of the large

intestine that causes difficult-to-treat diarrhea and colitis, which is an inflammation of the colon. Lillis was admitted, diagnosed with sepsis, and died the following day.  “My mother was

so strong and full of life, but this superbug came along and took her in just six days,” says Christian John Lillis, cofounder with his brother, Liam, of the Peggy Lillis Foundation, a

nonprofit created to educate the public and health professionals about _C. diff_ and to advocate for better prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The website for the foundation created in

Peggy Lillis’ name is filled with the personal stories of both _C. diff_ survivors and those who didn’t survive. The collection features women and men of different races, ages ranging from 5

months to 90-plus, and illness durations from a few weeks to more than a decade or “ongoing.” The narratives provide details about acquiring _C. diff_ in a health care setting (commonly

referred to as “hospital-acquired” or “long-term care facility–acquired”) or from antibiotic use (the shorthand for which is “community-acquired”). The antibiotics ciprofloxacin, clindamycin

and various cephalosporins are among those that often appear in the personal dramas.   Peggy Lillis graduating in 2005 from Brooklyn College with her bachelor’s degree with her sons Liam

(left) and Christian. Courtesy of the Peggy Lillis Foundation WHAT HEALS YOU CAN MAKE YOU SICKER Although antibiotics are healing and lifesaving, they can, at times, do damage by killing off

the good gut bacteria that keep our GI systems working as they should. Once that happens, the _C. difficile_ bacterium, which is generally present in our bodies as inactive spores, grows

and takes over. A special report published in June 2022 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that high levels of antibiotic prescription use put patients at risk

for antibiotic-resistant infections, including _C. diff_, that are difficult to treat. Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., the director of the CDC, writes that “more than 3 million Americans acquire

an antimicrobial-resistant infection or Clostridioides difficile infections (often associated with taking antimicrobials) each year.” The CDC categorizes _C. diff_ as an “Urgent Threat.”

According to “Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States,” a 2019 CDC report, “nearly 223,900 people in the United States required hospital care for _C. difficile_ and at least

12,800 died in 2017.” More than 80 percent of the deaths associated with _C. diff_ occurred among Americans age 65 or older, with 1 of every 11 older patients dying within 30 days of

diagnosis. Since _C. diff_ is contagious, it is easily spread in health care settings such as hospitals or nursing homes, often due to poor hygiene and the susceptibility of

immune-compromised patients. But, as noted by medical journal _The Lancet_ in May 2022, although hospital-acquired cases of _C. diff_ decreased in the United States between 2011 and 2017,

community-acquired cases have been increasing among children and adults younger than 65 years old. In many cases, the simple instruction from a doctor to use a probiotic while taking

antibiotics could make the difference. Better treatments are needed, and according to scientists who participated in the National _C. diff_ Advocates Summit, hosted in May 2022 by the Peggy

Lillis Foundation, several promising cures are in the works.