Soup leaves snowboarder paralysed and saddled with $2 million in hospital fees

A Brazilian native who was working in Aspen, Colorado ended up in intensive care after eating what is believed to be botulism-contaminated soup.

Claudia de Albuquerque Celada, 23, was left paralysed from the neck down by the illness, and according to Colombia One her treatment cost over $2 million.

Soon after eating the soup, Claudia reported dizziness, double vision, shortness of breath and paralysis, and was hospitalised soon after in February 2024.

After two weeks in the hospital, she was diagnosed with botulism.

Claudia de Albuquerque Celada before she fell ill - @cacau_albuquerque via Instagram

Botulism is described by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body's nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even death”.

She spent over 70 days at the Swedish Medical Center in Denver before being transferred to a hospital Sao Paulo, Brazil, with daily hospital expenses costing around $10,000 while she was in the US.

“We think that recovery close to family and friends is much faster. Comparing the costs between staying here and returning to Brazil, the return is still cheaper,” her sister said on social media while Claudia’s transfer was being prepared.

It is believed that Claudia contracted the illness after purchasing a canned soup in the US. Samples were tested at the same store and they all came back negative for botulism, with the theory being that it may have stemmed from her not having re-heated it properly.

At the time, Pitkin County Health department issued a warning to locals to “reassess their food handling practices” and to ensure that any food reheating is done thoroughly.

"Because an outbreak was ruled out, we really focus on the prevention aspect,” a Pitkin County Health representative told the Daily Mail.

"Because there wasn't a common source of exposure that impacted a larger swatch of the population, or if there were multiple cases associated, we really look at food handling as likely being the cause of the infection."

While health officials were quite confident that the soup itself wasn’t responsible for Claudia’s illness, they noted it’s “nearly impossible to definitively say at what stage there might have been that breakdown”.

Aspen, Colorado, where Claudia was working - Karl Weatherly via Getty Images

As of September 2024, Colombia One reported that Claudia’s condition was slowly improving and that her doctors were optimistic.

“At present, doctors are optimistic about Claudia’s recovery,” the outlet reported. “After spending several months in the hospital, she has shown progress, including the ability to write her name and breathe for an hour with the help of a respirator.”

It added: “The hospital offered to cover the air transport expenses. Additionally, the Aspen Health Secretariat informed that Claudia might be eligible for a government assistance program to help with any remaining payments.”

Further updates haven’t been made publicly available, but hopefully Claudia has continued to make progress in her recovery.