A 23-year-old ice cream seller from Brazil, Claudia de Albuquerque Celada, has been in Aspen, Colorado, for three months in an exchange program. One evening in February 2024, he opened a box of junk food and ate just a spoonful. It was a taste of punishment. But within hours, his body began to shut down what would later be discovered as one of the deadliest poisons known.
“I felt very tired, dizzy, and had double vision. I slept all day,“Claudia told Brazilian media UOL.” I started breathing in the middle of the night. “
What happened next was worse than the physical symptoms. Claudia remained completely aware. He could think clearly and feel everything around him, but he couldn’t move his body. “I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I saw everything that was happening around me, but I couldn’t communicate,” he said.
A diagnosis that took too long
Claudia rushed to Aspen Valley Hospital. Doctors ran tests, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong. His condition worsened with each passing hour. The symptoms are unlike anything you are used to.
Paralysis followed from his face down his body. His mouth dropped, and he would not swallow. His neck is weak first. Then his arms stopped working. His legs followed. He became a quadriplegic. He could not breathe on his own and was put on a ventilator.
Doctors exhumed his body from the Swedish Medical Center in Denver, but even there, it took 15 days to find him.
His sister explained that the medical team fought hard because none of them had treated this disease before. Botulism is so rare that many doctors have never seen a case in their entire careers. Symptoms mimic strokes, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and Myasthenia Gravis. Misdiagnosis occurs frequently.
What is botulism?
The bacterium responsible for it is called Chlorridium Botulinum. Its spores are found almost everywhere in nature – living in soil, dust, river mud, and even sea water. Most of the time, these bullets stay on the ground and are harmless, not threatening to people or animals. But under the right conditions, they wake up – and that’s where the danger begins.
Chlorridium Botulinum it thrives in areas with little oxygen or no oklygen. Sealed containers, like the one above, provide the perfect breeding ground. When spores find their way to unmodified food at high temperatures during storage, they germinate. As the bacteria grow and multiply, they release botulinum toxin – a highly potent neurotoxin and one of the most lethal substances known to science. Even minuscule amounts can cause serious illness or death.
The onset of symptoms usually occurs between 12 and 36 hours after ingestion, although the window can range from as early as 4 hours to as late as 8 days. Initial symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention, and dizziness, followed by progressive symptoms such as blurred vision, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, and muscle weakness. If left untreated, these symptoms can quickly escalate into full-blown disability.
It takes just two nanograms of botulinum toxin per kilogram of body weight to kill – a dose so small it can’t be seen with the naked eye. The toxin works by attacking the nervous system, blocking communication between nerves and muscles. Under normal circumstances, the brain sends signals through the nerves that direct all movements – telling your lungs to pump, your eyelids to blink, your hands to hold. Botulinum Toxin separates these messages, preventing them from reaching their destination. The result is permanent paralysis that can stop a person’s breathing, heartbeat, and other vital functions in the body.
According to the World Health Organization, food botulism kills between 5 and 10% of patients and even patients with access to modern treatment. In cases where there is no available treatment or intervention is delayed, the death rate is very high – sometimes it exceeds 60%.
Children’s paralysis from botulism often starts on the face and moves down the body, eventually reaching the lungs. The only way to stop the spread is with an antitoxin, which binds the circulating toxins and prevents them from damaging many nerves. But the clock is critical – antitoxin cannot reverse the damage that has already been done. Claudia was lost for 15 days while doctors searched for answers. Even a short delay can mean the difference between a full recovery and lifelong complications. He needed the antitoxin immediately. But no one could break it until they understood what they were dealing with.
Read more: Top 9 foods that commonly cause food poisoning
When medical bills become the second disaster
He had travel insurance, but it ran out early in his treatment. Medical care in Colorado was very expensive, and the bills quickly filled up. Hospitalization exploded at $10,000 a day, adding up to five figures every 24 hours. Cases up to $500,000 in 60 days. This item exceeded $2 million by the time his treatment ended.
His sister, Luísa Albuquerque Celada, reviews shared online. Claudia needed constant care, but staying in the United States meant financial collapse. The family began looking at options. Transferring him to Brazil with a feeling. The cost was very low, and he could recover near the family.
“To stop the bill from rising, we thought of organizing an air ambulance,” Luísa said. “The immediate repatriation of the family was quick, and the return to Brazil was still cheap. “
The family introduced a sponsor to cover the $200,000 flight. Doctors refused to approve travel at first. The neurologist changed course and allowed it on April 15.
The Swedish Medical Center offered to cover the transport. The Aspen Health Secretariat told the family that Claudia may be eligible for government assistance for the remaining costs. In May, after 70 days in the United States, Claudia arrived at the ICU in São Paulo. The family continues to carry a debt that will take years to repay.
Small victory, long recovery
In September 2024, about seven months after becoming ill, Claudia had made small gains. He could breathe for an hour with the help of a respirator and write his name, according to Colombia One. His doctors remain optimistic, although no public updates have appeared since then.
Recovery takes time because botulism destroys the pathways between the brain and muscles. The World Health Organization notes that serious cases may require the production of equipment for weeks or months. His senses are gradually being adjusted, and every muscle must remember again.
Claudia went from skiing in the mountains of Colorado to lying awkwardly in a hospital bed. Now, write his name in the news. Breathing for an hour and things below the support machine. Each small victory shows his body is spilled back and forth.
Read more: A second person dies after an outbreak of broccoli-sandwich botulism erupts
