According to her friends, a California mom had all four of her limbs amputated after eating fish tainted with a deadly disease.
Laura Barajas, 40, had the life-saving surgery on Thursday following a months-long hospital stay.
“It’s just been a lot on all of us.” It’s dreadful. “Any of us could have been in this situation,” Barajas’ friend Anna Messina told KRON.
Messina claims that Barajas, who has a 6-year-old son, became ill days after eating fish she bought at a local market in San Jose and prepared at home.
“She was on the verge of dying. “She was hooked up to a respirator,” Messina explained.
“She was placed in a medically induced coma.” Her fingers were black, as were her feet and her bottom lip. “She had sepsis and her kidneys were failing,” she explained.
Messina claims that Vibrio Vulnificus, a potentially lethal disease prevalent in raw seafood and seawater, afflicted Barajas.
“You can get infected with this bacteria by eating something contaminated with it, or by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water where this bug lives,” UCSF Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode told KRON.
Barajas’ family is eager to understand more about what occurred and how to proceed.
Messina started a GoFundMe account to help with the Barajas’ medical bills and her transition to her new life. As of Sunday morning, more than $39,000 had been raised.
“Little did she know that this simple act would change her life forever,” according to the fundraising. “Laura has been in the hospital for over a month, fighting for her life, and she is now a quadruple amputee.”
