Doralice Carneiro Sobreira Goes, a 47-year-old woman from Brazil, had a horrifying experience after consuming homemade pesto she had purchased at a local food market. The day after eating the pesto, she woke up experiencing strange pains and symptoms. She felt her body behaving oddly, had difficulty breathing, and a tingling sensation in her tongue. Goes got into her car and drove two miles to the nearest hospital, where she eventually collapsed.
At the hospital, Goes vomited and struggled to breathe. A neurologist determined that she had been affected by the terrifying illness, botulism, caused by a bacterial toxin. If she hadn’t sought medical attention as promptly as she did, she could have died. The doctors suspected that the homemade pesto she had eaten was the source of the illness.
Symptoms of botulism include dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, vomiting, seizures, and paralysis. Normally, symptoms appear between 12 and 36 hours after consuming the contaminated food.
Goes received an antidote for the illness but had to remain in the hospital for a year to receive treatment for the effects of botulism. She slowly regained her strength and even started playing table tennis to exercise her upper body. Although she has since returned home, she still struggles with movement and relies on a walker.
Botulism is a relatively rare disease, with only around 30 reported cases in Sweden since 1969. Recently, however, it gained attention when several guests at a wine bar in Bordeaux, France fell ill after consuming improperly preserved sardines. One woman died, and five others required intensive care.
Goes’ nightmare experience has caused her to change her shopping habits. She now prefers purchasing food from larger manufacturers to avoid any further accidents. She remains cautious when dining at restaurants, smaller stores, and local markets.
