US woman dies from poisoning after eating raw morel mushrooms from her favourite restaurant

We all know certain foods are more difficult to digest than others. However, we usually order our food from the restaurant menu and trust the people in charge to make sure we don't get sick. This is what Donna did, right before falling ill and eventually dying. Here is what happened.

Donna ordered sushi topped with raw mushrooms

In April 2023, Donna Ventura, a 64-year-old retired financial advisor, suffered from fatal kidney and liver failure because of what she ordered. The mum-of-one went to her favourite restaurant with her husband of 34 years, Jon, in Bozeman, Montana. She ordered a special sushi roll, topped with raw morels. So far, so good.

However, when the family returned home, Donna began to feel uneasy. She collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, while her husband felt powerless. She went into cardiac arrest shortly after arriving to the A&E. She was hospitalised in the intensive care unit for two weeks, unable to breathe on her own. Spending her last days in pain and hooked to a ventilator, Donna managed to scribble her last words to her husband and son, Christopher.

I don't think I can or want to go on. How are we going to manage? I can't stand the pain. I love you, Mr C.

Donna's husband told KBZK News Bozeman about his wife's last days.

Her entire body hurt and her skin was tight like a balloon because of the fluid build-up in her system.

She is the second person to die from mushroom poisoning

Donna suffered from horrendous pain for thirteen days before she passed away, two weeks after eating the infamous sushi. Her doctors discovered that she became ill because of the toxins released by the raw mushrooms. Donna was one of 51 people who became seriously ill after eating at Dave's Sushi restaurant. According to the Daily Mail, another man called William Lewis, 74, also died following his visit to the restaurant. Both families have decided to press charges. Authorities performed toxicity tests on the restaurant's surfaces but they came back negative.

Morels are safer to eat when they are cooked, as it kills a toxin known as hydrazine, which is highly toxic when consumed. However, they can still upset your stomach even when they are cooked. Hydrazine can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and intense abdominal pain. According to the Daily Mail, 150 cases of mushroom sickness linked to uncooked morels were reported last year.

Read more:

⋙ A man has died from flesh eating bacteria 6 days after ordering this popular food

⋙ This man died after eating a slug that gave him meningitis

⋙ British teenager tragically died after eating this in Mexico

Sources used:

Metro: Mum’s haunting last words after eating sushi topped with toxic raw mushrooms at ‘favourite restaurant’

Daily Mail: Haunting final words of Montana mother, 64, who died from eating 'special roll' at sushi restaurant: 'I'm not sure I can go on much longer'

KBZK News Bozeman: Jon Ventura recalls his wife's heartbreaking final days after eating morel mushrooms at Dave's Sushi