Cancer Survivor Faces Life-Threatening Incident After Consuming Homemade Swordfish Meal

A 24-year-old woman, who has already battled cancer twice, found herself facing a new health crisis after sampling homemade fermented swordfish at a friend’s dinner gathering.

Trinity Peterson-Mayes, a resident of Arizona, joined her friends for a meal last month where they decided to taste a companion’s homemade fermented fish dish.

Recalling the experience to 12 News, Peterson-Mayes described the fish as having an unpleasant taste. “It tasted horrible, I’m going to be so honest,” she admitted.

Despite the taste, she decided to give it a try, thinking, “It’s supposed to be healthy, and I figured I might as well try. If it’s bad, I’ll just get a bad stomach ache.”

However, the aftermath was far more severe than she anticipated. A few days later, Peterson-Mayes struggled to drink water. Within a day, she was completely unable to hydrate herself, she shared with the news outlet.

After nearly choking on coffee and finding herself struggling to speak, she went to the hospital, where her symptoms rapidly worsened, her mother wrote on GoFundMe. 

At the first hospital she visited, doctors were stumped trying to figure out what was ailing the 24-year-old and were considering discharging her. 

Feeling certain that something wasn’t right, Peterson-Mayes was transferred to a neurological institute, where doctors diagnosed her with botulism. 

Trinity Peterson-Mayes, 24, and two of her other friends were diagnosed with botulism, a rare neurotoxin, after eating a companion’s homemade fermented swordfish 

Within days of eating the ‘horrible’ swordfish, Peterson-Mayes found herself unable to swallow and struggled to talk. She was taken to the hospital, where she was put on a ventilator until an antitoxin could be administrated 

Two more of her friends would also be diagnosed with the disease.  

Botulism is a rare neurotoxin that can cause paralysis, and a condition most doctors have only ever encountered in medical textbooks. 

The rare toxin typically comes from improperly canned food, especially during the home canning process. It can also form in wounds. 

‘I woke up, and I had three IVs. I was intubated, I had a central line in my neck, and I had an NG tube… and I just woke up, and I couldn’t move at all. It was very scary,’ Peterson-Mayes told 12 News.  

Doctors had to put her on a ventilator to protect her airway while they waited for the life-saving antitoxin to be delivered from a different state, her mother said. 

After receiving the medication, the paralysis stopped progressing, and Peterson-Mayes is now on the road to recovery. 

The ordeal has left her scared to eat canned food again, and even sushi now frightens her. 

‘I don’t know about that anymore,’ she told 12 News. 

Her full recovery will take months, as she has to learn how to swallow again and will need extensive rehabilitation, the fundraiser, which has garnered more than $9,700, said. 

Peterson-Mayes is a two-time childhood cancer survivor 

She was first diagnosed with neuroblastoma at two months old. She was later diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 11 

Her full recovery from botulism is expected to take months as she has to learn how to swallow again and regain her strength 

Peterson-Mayes was released from the hospital on March 10, but is undergoing an inpatient rehabilitation program.  

‘She is already fighting hard every day to regain the basic abilities most of us take for granted – speaking, swallowing, and moving normally again,’ her mother said.  

‘Even through all of this, Trinity continues to show the same strength and resilience that helped her survive cancer twice as a child.’ 

She was first diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer, when she was just two months old. 

She was later diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer, when she was 11. 

What is botulism?

Botulism is a neurotoxin that can be life-threatening 

Botulism is a rare disease that is caused by the neurotoxin Clostridium botulinum, which is produced in food, wounds, and in the intestines of infants. 

The toxin can create spores, which can grow and become lethal when eaten. 

People can develop the condition from eating improperly canned items or fermented foods, which have grown spores. 

The toxin attacks the body’s nerves and can cause paralysis. The condition can be life-threatening. 

Symptoms usually start 12 to 36 hours after eating the contaminated food for foodborne botulism. 

Symptoms include trouble swallowing, dry mouth, weakness in the face, blurred vision, trouble breathing, upset stomach, and paralysis. 

People can also develop botulism through a wound. Symptoms appear after 10 days of the toxin entering the body. 

Botulism is found in 100 to 300 cases per year in the US. Most cases are found in babies.