A 24-year-old Arizona woman who survived cancer twice as a child has been left partially paralysed by botulism after eating a home-cooked fermented swordfish dish prepared by a friend.
Trinity Peterson-Mayes fell ill shortly after the meal, initially experiencing difficulty swallowing and speaking. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she was rushed to hospital where she was placed on a ventilator. Doctors diagnosed her with foodborne botulism, a rare neurological illness caused by a toxin that blocks communication between nerves and muscles.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about two dozen adult cases of botulism are reported in the United States each year. The life-saving antitoxin had to be brought from another state to halt the spread of the toxin. Two other people who ate the same dish also developed botulism.
Peterson-Mayes, who had previously battled neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma, now faces a long recovery. Her mother said the family believed the hardest battles were behind her. A GoFundMe page has raised around $8,500 to support her rehabilitation.
