Liver Transplant, Experimental Drug Save Lives of Woman and Son Who Ate Deadly Mushroom from Friend's Yard
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A mother and son are alive today thanks to a team of doctors who acted quickly to save them after they ate a poisonous wild mushroom.
According to the Telegram & Gazette, Kai Chen and his mother, Kam Look, ate what is considered one of the deadliest of all mushroom varieties — the Amanita phalloides, or "death cap."
Look had picked the mushroom from her friend's garden after she believed it looked like the ones she used to eat in her native Malaysia.
Just to be sure it was safe, 63-year-old Look told the outlet that she cooked the mushroom with ginger, believing that if the ginger turned black, the mushroom was edible.
Hours later, Look and 27-year-old Chen were vomiting and sick with diarrhea. The two waited for hours for the symptoms to pass — but as time went on, their condition became worse.
Two days after the meal, both Look and Chen were admitted to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Massachusetts, per the Gazette.
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The pair were then transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center.
"They were very ill when they arrived," Dr. Stephanie Carreiro told reporters during a press conference. "They had liver damage and spent several days in the intensive care unit."
According to CBS News, both Chen and Look were given a rare experimental drug that was flown from Pennsylvania to help save their lives.
While Chen recovered with help from the drug, called Legalon, Chen ultimately needed a liver transplant.
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"The emotional toll was very great on me," Chen said, per the Gazette. "I'm grateful, and I'll never be able to repay the donor family."
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Look is still recovering at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital, but both she and Chen are doing well after their ordeal.
"Be careful what you find in the woods," Look warned during the press conference, "especially mushrooms."
