Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

California Mom Has To Have All Limbs Amputated After Eating Undercooked Tilapia

Laura Barajas
KRON 4 / YouTube

Laura Barajas underwent surgery to amputate her arms and legs after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria, likely from eating undercooked tilapia.

A northern California woman has lost all four limbs following a battle with a flesh-eating bacteria.

Doctors think the San Jose wife and mother, Laura Barajas, was most likely infected with the bacteria from eating undercooked tilapia purchased at a market by her house.


Scientists have been warning about the possibility of contracting the bacteria via other causes, like swimming in infected waters. The bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, aggressively attacks the body and quickly made Barajas ill after she ate the tilapia back in July.

San Jose woman loses limbs battling bacterial infection from tilapiayoutu.be

Barajas' friend Anna Messina, who has set up a GoFundMe for Barajas and her family, told local CW affiliate KRON 4 that the illness quickly became a horrifying battle.

“She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator. They put her into a medically induced coma."
"Her fingers were black, her feet were black, her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing.”

Doctors were forced to amputate both arms and both legs to save her life. Still, Barajas is luckier than many who fall victim to Vibrio vulnificus—one in five people infected die, often within just 1-2 days.

Eating contaminated seafood is the most common way humans are infected with Vibrio vulnificus, but scientists and doctors warn that people can also become sick if they have any kind of open wound on their skin that comes in contact with the bacteria.

That means of transmission is a growing concern as warming ocean waters are fostering widespread growth of the bacteria.

The CDC issued an alert just weeks ago urging healthcare professionals to be aware of the likelihood of waterborne transmission, particularly near the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, where water temperatures soared in some cases above 100 degrees over the summer.

Four people are known to have died from contracting Vibrio vulnificus this summer, two in Connecticut, one in New York, and a fourth man in Texas who contracted the bacteria from eating raw oysters.

On social media, people were very unnerved by Barajas' tragic story.









Barajas' friend Messina says she's learned a valuable lesson from this tragic situation. "Be thankful for what we have right now," she told KRON 4, "because it can be taken away so quickly, so easily.”

More from Trending

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less