The family of a woman who tragically died after eating poisonous mushrooms has revealed her heartbreaking last words.
Donna Ventura fell seriously ill with food poisoning just an hour after consuming a sushi roll with salmon and morel mushroom at Dave’s Sushi in Montana last April.
According to KBZK, Donna spent two weeks in the intensive care unit at Bozeman Deaconess Regional Medical Center but the toxins from the mushrooms slowly took over her liver and kidneys.
"Her skin was tight, fluids were building up in her system—she was in enormous pain,” the woman's husband, Jon Ventura, told the publication.
The woman's doctors desperately tried various efforts to save her life, including acquiring special authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration to administer a drug that could fight mushroom toxicity, the Montana Free Press reported.
However, the illness damaged her body so severely that she was unable to speak and had to communicate with her family using a red marker on pieces of paper.
As the end drew near, she scribbled her devastating final message before passing away on April 29 last year. Among her last words were: "I’m not sure I can go on much longer, how are we going to manage, I can’t stand the pain’,” Jon revealed the outlet.
“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,'” he added.
Today, Jon wears his and Donna's wedding bands as a way of commemorating her memory with him. They were married for almost 35 years.
He has also launched a wrongful death lawsuit against the restaurant, telling the outlet: “I told my wife on her deathbed that one of my jobs would be to hold those accountable for what they’ve done to her."
“I worry greatly about the people who eat at Dave's Sushi,” he continued. "If you look at the records available through the Gallatin County Health Department, they’ve had multiple health code violations, not only at Dave’s Sushi but the other restaurants Aaron Parker owns, Jam and Revelry.”
“They’ve avoided all responsibility for the pain and suffering they’ve caused not only me and my son, but every person affected by their atrocious behavior,” Jon added.
The husband disclosed that if he receives damages in the lawsuit, he hopes to establish a scholarship at Montana State University in his beloved wife's name.
Donna was one of two people who lost their lives after falling ill with gastrointestinal illness following a visit to the establishment a year ago.
At least 51 people fell ill, an investigation conducted by the local Gallatin County Health Department found.
Aaron Parker, the owner of Dave’s Sushi, acknowledged that his restaurant was at fault for the deaths, stating: “We served the food that led to the illnesses," as cited by The Independent. “Absolutely."
Our thoughts are with everyone affected.
