A 33-year-old mother of three has been hospitalized for weeks after getting a serious case of food poisoning caused by nacho cheese sauce sold at a gas station near Sacramento.
Lavinia Kelly, who turned 33 on May 17, is in the hospital, partially paralyzed and hooked up to a ventilator after contracting botulism – a rare case of food poisoning that is transmitted through food.
Officials believe the nacho cheese sauce sold at the station was the cause of her sickness.
On April 21, Kelly stopped at the gas station after work for a snack. She bought a bag of Doritos and drizzled nacho cheese on them. A few hours later she started to feel sick and fatigued.
The next day, Kelly complained of double vision. Her partner, Ricky Torres, took her to Sutter Medical Center for routine tests, according to the Sacramento Bee. Later that evening, she began vomiting and had difficulty breathing and Torres had to drive her back to the emergency room.
Kelly has spent the past three weeks in the intensive care unit at the hospital, fighting to breathe and struggling to open her eyes.
Torres told the Sacramento Bee that her illness has become so bad that her family has to hold her eyelids open just so she can see who is in the room. Sometimes they use tape to hold her eyes open.
The LA Times reports at least five people have been sickened from a botulism outbreak connected to the Valley Oak Food and Food gas station in Sacramento. All five people have been hospitalized according to a statement released by the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services.
Kelly’s family started a GoFundMe page to try and raise money. Although she has medical insurance, she is unable to support her family and they need money for food, bills and other expenses.
