- When Doralice Goes, 47, had a late night snack she never expected to be fighting for her life just hours later.
- A jar of homemade pesto purchased from the farmers market contained toxins that left her paralysed.
- Now she is using her second chance at life to raise awareness around food safety and Botulism.
Here Doralice tells her story in her own words.
’ll be back soon,’ I called out to my cats, Apple, Kiwi and Ayo Malbec, heading out to do my weekly grocery shop.
Popping into the local farmers’ market along the way, I visited one of my favourite vendors to see what delicious goodies he had for sale.
He specialised in artisanal and homemade sauces, and I’d been buying delectable condiments from the sauce man for years. His products were always great.
‘This smells delicious‘
As I was searching through his selection, he handed me a jar.
‘Try my new pesto!’ he said with a smile.
Bright red in colour, the tomato and capsicum pesto looked amazing so I took some with me.
Unpacking the groceries back at home, I noticed the pesto didn’t have an expiry date on the jar.
Not thinking much of it though, I placed it in the cupboard.
Almost a month later, in January 2022, I was munching on a piece of toast for a late night snack, but it was very dry.
Something’s missing, I pondered.
Then I remembered the pesto in my pantry.
So I grabbed the jar, unscrewed the lid and gave the contents a sniff.
‘That’s not like me.’
This smells delicious, I thought.
Spreading a generous amount across my toast, I took a bite.
Tastes good too, I smiled as I chewed my snack.
After sipping a glass of red wine to wash it down, I headed up to bed.
The next morning I woke up and got stuck into the house cleaning.
But around 11am, I started to feel sick.
Suffering hot and cold sweats, I knew something wasn’t quite right.
Maybe it was the wine, I thought.
‘I can’t move.’
Feeling awful I took myself to bed around midday to try and sleep it off.
When I woke up to a dark room, I was disorientated.
Finding my phone in the covers, I realised I’d slept for 11 hours straight.
That’s not like me, I worried.
I felt weak, was struggling to breathe, and had a weird tingly sensation in my tongue, hands, and feet.
After putting some food out for the cats, I got in my car, knowing if I didn’t get to the hospital soon, I was going to be in trouble.
Along the 20km drive, my symptoms escalated.
Deciding to send a voice message to my sister Kathia, then 57, I only managed to let her know that I was on my way to hospital before my speech started to slur.
‘I’m right here.’
I pulled up in front of the emergency department, and swung open the car door, but my body seemed to have stopped working.
I can’t move, I panicked, trying to scream for help.
Throwing myself out of the car, I landed face first on the concrete.
Terrifyingly, I couldn’t move my arms or legs.
A doctor who noticed my struggle rushed to my aid with a wheelchair, and screamed for help.
Moments later, I was whisked into the hospital.
Then, unable to breathe, my world went black.
When I woke up in the ICU, I realised I was intubated and surrounded by wires and beeping machines.
‘The last thing I had was pesto on toast.’
Thankfully Kathia had got my message and was now by my side.
‘I’m right here,’ she said, squeezing my hand.
Results showed a toxin in my nervous system was to blame for my symptoms.
Terrifyingly, I noticed I could only move two of my toes. I was paralysed!
‘We believe it’s botulism,’ the doctor said, explaining that it was a rare illness where toxins found in contaminated food attack nerves in the body.
It can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, difficulty with breathing, muscle paralysis – and even death.
Having recognised the signs, doctors were able to administer anti-botulism medication, saving my life.
Lying in bed, I used my two toes to spell out words to communicate with my sister.
Kathia said the alphabet, and when she got to the letter I needed, I’d wiggle my toes.
She wrote down each word, but it would take around an hour just to say three sentences. However, with persistence, we managed.
As the medication took effect, I soon started to regain small movements in my fingers, and other toes, as well as a little speech.
That’s when one of the doctors asked me what I’d eaten recently.
‘The last thing I had was pesto on toast,’ I mumbled.
They explained that the homemade pesto I’d bought at the market must have been contaminated with the deadly bacteria.
I was shocked.
Luckily, while I was in hospital, Kathia took care of my cats at home.
Able to focus on my recovery, I put every ounce of energy into my rehab.
Working with a physio, I relearned how to walk, talk, breathe, and swallow.
Nine months on, I could finally breathe unaided again, and my tracheotomy – the tube which had been inserted into a hole in my throat to help me breathe – was removed.
Eventually, after 10 months and 10 days in hospital, I got the green light to leave and continue my recovery at home.
As I still needed help with things like holding utensils and getting up from a seated position, my fur babies and I moved in with Kathia.
Determined to regain my independence, within a few months of being home, I was able to walk around without my walker and was approved to live on my own again.
I visited the sauce man at the farmers’ market, and he was devastated to hear of my ordeal, and he apologised profusely.
The health department had already visited him, and he’d stopped selling his pesto.
Two and a half years on, I still need regular rehab.
I’ve also started painting, which is like therapy for me.
Creating art has also helped me improve the strength and movement in my hands.
I’m using my second chance at life to raise awareness around food safety and the dangers of botulism.
A jar of pesto almost killed me, but I’m so grateful to be alive!
