A 24-year-old Phoenix woman, Trinity Peterson-Mayes, has been left partially paralyzed after contracting botulism from eating a homemade fermented swordfish dish prepared by a friend. The meal, which she described as tasting 'horrible,' led to a rare and life-threatening neurological illness.
Days after the dinner, Peterson-Mayes experienced difficulty swallowing and speaking, eventually unable to drink water or swallow her own saliva. She was rushed to hospital and placed on a ventilator. Doctors initially struggled to diagnose her, as botulism is extremely rare, with only about two dozen adult cases in the US each year.
After consulting specialists, she was diagnosed with foodborne botulism, caused by a toxin that blocks nerve-muscle communication. A life-saving antitoxin had to be flown in from another state to halt the toxin's spread. Two other people who ate the same dish also developed botulism.
Peterson-Mayes is now on a long road to recovery, requiring her body to rebuild nerve connections before she can regain strength. She has expressed fear of sushi and canned foods following the incident. Her mother, Loren Amatruda, noted that Peterson-Mayes is a two-time cancer survivor, having overcome neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma as a child.
A GoFundMe page has raised around $8,500 to support her recovery. Her mother said, 'Trinity is only 24, but she has already overcome more than most people face in a lifetime.'
