A California woman and mother of three was beyond shocked as her body virtually began to shut down.
Come to find out, she was slowly becoming paralyzed after ingesting a common food that many people eat — and now, a scary four weeks later, she’s still in the ICU and unable to walk.
It was a day like any other for Lavinia Kelly as she was running a few errands around Walnut Grove,
California. Of course, it really doesn’t matter how busy we may be, there are a few things we all need to do – and eating is one of them. Unfortunately for Lavinia, the moment hunger struck was the moment a mundane day would turn into anyone’s worst nightmare.
Lavinia KellyAfter the young mother stopped by the Valley Oak Food and Fuel gas station in town and picked up some food, things started to go downhill quickly. A short time after eating, she noticed that something was extremely wrong as she began to lose control of her body.
Relatives say Lavinia’s symptoms started with fatigue and progressed to double vision, vomiting, and difficulty breathing, prompting them to rush her to the hospital where she was immediately placed in the ICU. Her condition continued to deteriorate as she struggled to speak, breath, and even open her eyes.
Although medical professionals initially struggled to identify the cause, that soon changed when 5 other people came into the same hospital with identical symptoms, prompting an investigation into the cases by the county health department.
Come to find out, Sacramento County Health Investigators linked all 6 cases to the gas station Lavinia had eaten at just hours before she started to notice the troubling symptoms. Even worse yet, they narrowed it down to the nacho cheese sauce that the woman drizzled on her Doritos.
According to ABC 7, the cheese in the warming dispenser had been in there so long that it was growing mold inside. As a result of ingesting the cheese, which was tainted with toxins, Lavinia contracted Botulism.
Botulism is a rare but serious illness that occurs when botulinum bacteria multiply, usually in moist, low-oxygen environments. The bacteria releases a nerve toxin, which causes gradual paralysis and sometimes death. Common symptoms include vomiting, blurred vision, difficulty breathing and muscle weakness. [Source: The Sacramento Bee]
Weeks later, she was still in the ICU with doctors saying they’re not sure when she’ll get better. Although medical professionals told that she’ll eventually recover it’s a waiting game and there is no telling how long the process will take.
Fortunately, Lavinia had the support of loved ones and family members as there is someone always in her room at any given moment. As one would imagine, though, the incident is taking its toll on the family.
With all of the dangers out there just waiting to take our lives, you can never be too cautious, even when that comes to the seemingly harmless things in life. Unfortunately, we can’t depend on others to do what’s right to keep us safe, so we have to take that responsibility into our own hands. Take extra caution when eating prepared foods at unfamiliar places.