Woman Develops Life-Threatening Illness After Eating Homemade Meal Prepared By Friend

A cancer survivor has found herself fighting for her life again after sharing a homemade meal with friends and later developing a rare and life-threatening illness.

Trinity Peterson-Mayes, who is now 24 years old, faced serious health struggles very early in life.

Doctors first diagnosed her with cancer when she was just two months old, forcing her family to deal with an extremely difficult situation while she was still an infant.

Years later she faced another major health challenge.

At the age of 11 she received a second diagnosis, this time for an aggressive form of bone cancer.

Earlier this year in February, Trinity spent time with friends and shared a meal that included fermented swordfish.

What began as a casual meal soon turned into a frightening medical emergency.

Speaking to local news outlet KPNX, she explained that the unusual dish ended up being far worse than she expected.

"It tasted horrible, I'm going to be so honest. It's supposed to be healthy and I figured I might as well try, if it's bad and I'll just get a bad stomach ache."

Unfortunately, the situation quickly became more serious than a simple stomach ache.

Within a short time she noticed that drinking water became extremely difficult and caused her to choke.

Trinity was hospitalised after trying fermented swordfish a friend had prepared GoFundMe

"Slowly, over the course of 24 hours, I went from not being able to chug water to not being able to drink any water at all," she recalled.

As her symptoms continued to worsen, Trinity went to a nearby hospital for help.

The first hospital struggled to determine what was happening and nearly sent her home without a clear diagnosis.

Thankfully, doctors soon discovered the real cause of her symptoms.

She had contracted a rare but extremely dangerous illness known as botulism.

According to the NHS, botulism is a serious condition that can cause severe illness and requires urgent medical treatment.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that botulism occurs when a toxin attacks the body's nerves.

This toxin can lead to breathing problems, muscle paralysis, and in severe cases even death.

Once doctors understood what was happening, Trinity was quickly transferred to St. Joseph's Medical Center and the Barrow Neurological Institute for specialized care.

She later described the moment she woke up in the hospital surrounded by medical equipment.

"I woke up and I had three IVs, I was intubated, I had a central line in my neck, and I had an NG [nasogastric] tube… and I just woke up and I couldn't move at all. It was very scary. I wasn't able to talk before. I wasn't able to walk."

Trinity is expected to be released from hospital soon but faces a long recovery GoFundMe

Medical experts explained that botulism can have serious effects on the body because it interferes with normal muscle function.

Dr. Frank LoVecchio spoke with KPNX about the dangers of the illness.

"It causes this paralysis of your muscles, and most important being, you know, your chest muscles, those that are responsible for breathing."

Despite how dangerous the illness is, it remains extremely rare.

Health experts estimate that in the United States there are only around two dozen cases of food-related botulism reported each year.

Two other friends who shared the same meal with Trinity also developed botulism.

A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help support Trinity during her recovery.

Her family explained that the road ahead will likely be long and challenging.

Her mother, Loren Amatruda, shared details about what recovery may involve.

"Recovery from botulism can take weeks to months, sometimes longer, and often requires extensive rehabilitation and therapy."

"Even through all of this, Trinity continues to show the same strength and resilience that helped her survive cancer twice as a child, she is already fighting hard every day to regain the basic abilities most of us take for granted — speaking, swallowing and moving normally again."

What are the symptoms of botulism?

According to the NHS, adults who develop botulism may experience several warning signs.

Common symptoms include the following:

• blurred or double vision
• drooping eyelids
• difficulty swallowing and speaking
• weak muscles, particularly in your face
• constipation
• dry mouth

Recovery from botulism can take a long time.

In some cases it may take many months before patients fully regain their strength and normal muscle function.