Mum admits she 'can't go on much longer' as she dies from poison mushroom meal

22 April 2024 , 22:04

868     0

Donna Ventura, 64, was one of two customers who died from food poisoning (Image: KBZK)

In her final days, a mum who consumed toxic Chinese mushrooms at a sushi restaurant told her loved ones, "I'm not sure I can go on much longer," according to her distraught husband.

The woman's death was agonizing and prolonged after she ate the poisoned mushrooms from China at a sushi restaurant. In April 2023, Donna Ventura, 64, became gravely ill from food poisoning within an hour of eating a roll stuffed with salmon and morel mushrooms at a nearby eatery called Dave's Sushi.

The poisons from the mushrooms steadily killed her liver and kidneys. The mum from Montana spent the following two weeks in the intensive care unit at Bozeman Deaconess Regional Medical Center, barely surviving.

READ MORE: Urgent warning to Brit tourists who dined at French wine bar after deadly outbreak

The poisons from the mushrooms steadily killed The mum's liver and kidneys (KBZK)

Her sickness had destroyed her throat so badly before her death on April 29 that she was unable to talk and could only write messages with a red marker. Her final remarks included: 'I'm not sure I can go on much longer, how are we going to cope, I can't handle the pain'," her husband, Jon Ventura, said .

“The last couple she wrote were to me and our son where she wrote, ‘I love you’, and to our son, she wrote, ‘I love you, Mr. C’.”

TUI customers' food poisoning torment ruined four-star Lanzarote New Year trip

After eating at the sushi restaurant a year ago, Donna was one of two persons who died from gastrointestinal sickness, according to an investigation conducted by the Gallatin County Health Department in the area. There were at least 51 illnesses.

Jon Ventura promised he would "hold those accountable for what they've done to her." (KBZK)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the inquiry identified imported morel mushrooms from China as the most likely cause of the outbreak. Although morel mushrooms are usually regarded as edible, the CDC cautions that they must be thoroughly cooked to avoid any potentially harmful effects.

“It was surreal to think that the simple act of eating lunch would end up putting her in the intensive care unit,” Mr Ventura said. Mr Ventura said his wife of 34 years "was in enormous pain" in her dying days, adding that "her skin was tight, fluids were building up in her system."

There have been at least 51 illnesses linked to the restaurant (KBZK)

On Donna's deathbed, he promised to "hold those accountable for what they've done to her." Following the investigation, Mr Ventura filed a wrongful death claim against the eatery. After the outbreak, the sushi restaurant was closed, but it reopened the next month.

“I worry greatly about the people who eat at Dave’s Sushi,” Mr Ventura said. “If you look at the records available through the Gallatin County Health Department, they’ve had multiple health code violations.”

Despite being widely regarded as edible, eating morel mushrooms has been closely linked to gastrointestinal disorders. There was a dose-response connection found, and eating raw morel mushrooms was significantly linked to sickness compared to eating some that had at least some cooking, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Mirror has approached Dave's Sushi for comment.

Mataeo Smith