STOP Foodborne Illness, a Chicago-based nonprofit public health organization, is looking for victims of foodborne illness whose treatments had to be extended because of antibiotic resistance. “Doctors and other health experts have warned for years about the overuse of antibiotics to treat illness, which contributes to the rise of ‘super bugs’ resistant to the healing effects of these drugs,”  STOP explained in a recruitment statement.  “The common practice of administering antibiotics to healthy animals to counteract the impacts of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions on industrial farms creates the perfect breeding ground for these antibiotic-resistant bacteria.” STOP, which is dedicated to the prevention of illness and death from foodborne pathogens, is looking for people who have been adversely affected by an antibiotic-resistant foodborne illness or know of a relative or friend who has felt its impact to tell their stories. People can register to be an advocate by going to https://stopfoodborneillness.org and clicking “Become an Antibiotic Resistance Advocate” at the top of the page or share their story directly by filling out the form found below: http://www.keepantibioticsworking.com/new/experience.php. “In STOP’s nearly two decades of working with foodborne illness victims, we’ve helped improve national food safety, often times through the dedication, efforts and voices of our outspoken volunteer food safety advocates,” says STOP’s CEO Deirdre Schlunegger. “We are now embarking on a new branch of our mission, which is to not only reduce the likelihood of ingesting life-threatening pathogens, but also to ensure that if people do become ill from contaminated foods, there will still be viable medical treatment options available,” she added. “No person should have to fear that they could die because an antibiotic won’t work, but that’s what’s happening when ‘super bugs’ are created due to the overuse and misuse of the drugs at the production stage. The results can be a simple infection turning into something much worse, including death.” STOP is creating a community for those impacted by or with an interest in fighting antibiotic-resistant foodborne illness from meat, dairy, eggs or a farm that the group hopes can affect change. “STOP will help these people voice their concern to legislators, who often see statistics about this issue but rarely hear of people’s actual struggles,” Schlunegger continued. “Together, we can bring faces to this problem, create change to federal law and policies, and bring an end to the practice of feeding antibiotics to healthy animals.”