More than $110,000 has been raised for the California mother who had to have all her limbs amputated after eating spoiled tilapia, while a heartbreaking image of her in her hospital bed has emerged.
Laura Barajas, 40, lost arms and legs after eating fish, contaminated with flesh-eating bacteria, that she bought at a local market in July.
The glamorous mother of three could be seen with a maze of tubes and monitors attached to her body, plus a large breathing mask strapped to her face in a photo taken from her hospital bed.
Barajas lives with her 6-year-old son, her partner José Valdez, and her two other children in San José, California.
She is originally from the city of Guanajuato in Mexico, according to her Facebook page.
After cooking and eating the tilapia, Barajas became ill almost immediately and was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with the aggressive bacteria. Vibrio vulnificuswhich can be found in undercooked seafood.
Barajas had all four limbs removed in life-saving surgery this week. crown 4
On Thursday, he underwent life-saving surgery after a months-long stay in the hospital.
“The four of them [her] They had to remove his limbs to save his life,” said a GoFundMe page created by his friend Anna Messina.
“Please find it in your hearts to support this beautiful family during this incredibly difficult time.
Laura Barajas and her partner, José Valdez.KRON 4
“What happened to them could happen to any of us.”
The online fundraiser organized by Messina quickly gained traction in a matter of days and surpassed $110,000 on Wednesday.
Messina said Valdez has been by Barajas’ side “during this incredibly difficult time, providing him with unwavering support,” but that the family “desperately needs our help (as) they adjust to their new circumstances.”
Valdez, who works for a local real estate agent, has “exhausted his paid time off…and the Family Disability program provides only 60% of his normal income,” according to Messina.
“The mounting hospital bills are overwhelming and Laura’s physical condition will require significant changes in their lives as they adjust to their new circumstances,” Messina added.
According to the CDC, a Vibrio vulnificus The infection can require amputations and often causes death a day or two after becoming ill.
“The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are: one, you can eat something that is contaminated with it. [and] the other way is to expose a cut or tattoo to the water in which this insect lives,” Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode, an infectious disease expert at UCSF, told KRON.
Barajas has been in the hospital for more than a month after getting sick from eating contaminated fish. KRON 4
He said it is a particularly worrying infection for those with weak immune systems.
Approximately between 150 and 200 cases of Vibrio vulnificus are reported every year, according to the CDC.
Most people infected with the disease require intensive care or limb amputations, the CDC reports, and about 1 in 5 people die as a result, often within days of contracting the bacteria.
The Post has contacted the Barajas family for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn