A 40-year-old mother in San Jose, California, lost all her limbs in surgery Thursday after eating tilapia she did not know was contaminated, her friends have explained.
The victim, identified as Laura Barajas, went forward with the amputation surgery after one month of being cared for in a hospital, the New York Post reported Saturday.
An image shows the mother before her illness and when she was in the hospital:
Friend Anna Messina said the woman, who has a young son, fell ill in the days after she ate the fish she bought at a local market and cooked in her own kitchen for herself.
“It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us,” Messina stated.
She said her friend was eventually put into a medically induced coma and her fingers, feet, and bottom lip turned black. In addition, she suffered from sepsis and the beginning stages of kidney failure.
Barajas was apparently suffering from the bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus.
