Woman faces life-threatening disease after eating friend’s homemade dinner

Health & Fitness
17 Mar 2026 • 5:07 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • A Phoenix woman, Trinity Peterson-Mayes, 24, was left partially paralyzed by a rare, life-threatening disease after eating fermented swordfish.
  • Peterson-Mayes fell ill last month, experiencing difficulty swallowing and speaking, which led to her being hospitalized and placed on a ventilator.
  • She was diagnosed with botulism, an extremely rare neurological illness caused by a toxin, which doctors at the hospital had only read about.
  • An antitoxin was rushed from another state to stop the toxin's spread, and Peterson-Mayes is now facing a long recovery period that could last months.
  • Peterson-Mayes is a two-time childhood cancer survivor, and a GoFundMe page has been created to support her recovery.

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