A young Brazilian woman working in Colorado on an exchange program was left paralyzed and fighting for her life in hospital after being infected with a rare bacteria, her family said.
Claudia de Albuquerque Celada, 23, was hospitalized Feb. 17 and suffered from paralysis, dizziness, double vision and shortness of breath. She was diagnosed with botulism two weeks later, a family friend told the Aspen Daily News.
Since then, Albuquerque Celada has also received respiratory support at Swedish Medical Center in Denver.
Her sister, Luísa Albuquerque, wrote on social media that the Denver hospital was paying for her flight back to Brazil via air ambulance.
“We believe recovery with family and friends is much quicker. Comparing the costs between staying here and returning to Brazil, the return is even cheaper,” said her sister.
Each day she spends in the hospital costs her about $10,000, the family associate added.
“The travel insurance she had has long since run out and her hospital bills are only increasing. »
Albuquerque Celada had been working in Aspen on an exchange program since November.
Her sister said she started feeling ill and had to leave work early one day in February, telling Portuguese newspaper UOL: “She took a shower, had dinner and went to bed, but she had shortness of breath, blurred vision and dizziness.”
She had sent a message to her friends to inform him of her illness and when they arrived the next morning, her condition had worsened considerably.
“When they arrived my sister was already much worse, she could barely breathe on her own and she was suffering from facial paralysis. Some other very weak muscles, weak arms, weak legs. She went to the hospital and, shortly after, she was 100% paralyzed,” her sister said in Portuguese.
Her family said they did not know where she contracted the infection, but believed it was foodborne.
“Botulism was identified only 15 days after symptoms appeared, but it is unclear which food was contaminated with the bacteria,” a family member wrote on social media, according to the newspaper.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines botulism as “a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves.” Symptoms usually start in the eyes, face, mouth and throat before spreading to other parts of the body. It can also weaken the muscles involved in breathing, which can lead to difficulty breathing or even death.
Pitkin County officials later told the newspaper that the case was believed to be isolated and that there was no risk to the public.
Before the Denver hospital announced it would pay for his transport, Albuquerque Celada’s family had raised $200,000 to pay for the air ambulance.
A fundraiser organized by her family is now seeking to pay off the $500,000 she incurred in hospital debt.
New York Post
