'My Body Stopped Working': Woman Becomes Paralyzed After Eating Pesto From Farmer's Market

A 47-year-old Brazilian woman named Doralice Carneiro Sobreira Goes got sick after eating pesto she bought from a farmer's market. She purchased the pesto in December 2021 but didn't eat it until the next month.

¡°The pesto didn¡¯t have an expiration date, and [the shopkeeper] didn¡¯t give me storage instructions either, but I was a frequent customer,¡± Goes told the outlet.

Although the pesto looked and tasted fine, it made her sick, and she began feeling unwell the day after eating it.

¡°My body didn¡¯t feel right, my breathing had gotten worse, and my tongue felt like it was tingling,¡± said Goes, who added that she slept for 11 hours.

After arriving at the hospital by driving herself, Goes explained that her body completely stopped functioning once she parked the car.

¡°I couldn¡¯t move my body, so I threw myself out of the car,¡± she said, according to The Independent. ¡°It was then I saw an employee with a wheelchair, so I shouted, to which they then came over and helped me into it.¡±

When doctors examined Goes, she was vomiting and had difficulty breathing.

She could barely move, only wiggling two toes.

They diagnosed her with botulism, attributing the homemade pesto as the cause. A toxin from the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which is frequently associated with canned foods, causes the uncommon but severe illness botulism.

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¡°The harmful bacteria thrive and make the toxin in environments with little oxygen, such as in home-canned food,¡± the Mayo Clinic says.

Symptoms can appear soon after consuming the toxin, with effects such as difficulty swallowing or talking, nausea, breathing problems, and blurred vision, depending on the amount ingested.

Although antitoxins can help limit the damage botulism does, ¡°recovery may take months and typically involves extended rehabilitation therapy,¡± the Mayo Clinic says.

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During her recovery, she spent a year in the hospital; she stated, ¡°I was¡­given dry compressions and electroshocks to relieve chronic pain. When I got more strength in my upper body, I also adapted [to] playing table tennis.¡±

¡°I can now urinate by myself and feed myself,¡± she adds,

And while walking on her own is hard¡ª"I have the help of a walker to help me get around,¡± Goes adds¡ª"I have been breathing without help for nine months, which is a good sign.¡±

The CDC suggests refrigerating homemade oils and discarding unused portions after four days to lower the risk of food-borne botulism.

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