Massachusetts Mom, Son Hospitalized With Severe Liver Damage After Consuming Foraged Mushrooms

mushroom poisoning UMass Memorial Medical Center Kam Look Kai Chen liver damage liver transplant

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Oct 22, 03:40 pm

Photo: (Photo : WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

A mom and her son were recently rushed to a hospital in Massachusetts with severe liver damage after consuming mushrooms that they had foraged for dinner. They were given a compassionate use drug for treatment, according to Boston 25 News.

UMass Memorial Medical Center issued a news release, saying that Kam Look and her son Kai Chen were outside a few weeks ago gathering mushrooms that looked similar to ones that they had been able to safely forage back in Malaysia.

As they both ate their meal, they suddenly became ill. They decided to transport themselves to nearby Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton for treatment. Medical officials immediately recognized that the pair, who hails from Amhurst, needed a higher level of intervention. They decided to transfer both patients to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

Mom and son had severe liver damage following mushroom poisoning

The mom and son were both said to be suffering from severe, life-threatening liver damage with a death rate that is estimated to be between 30 and 50 percent.

A toxicology expert, who identified the mushroom poisoning, knew that the patients had no time to waste. According to the hospital, the expert had an investigational new drug that required special approval flown in from the city of Philadelphia.

Fellow toxicology experts from around the United States then consulted with dozens of caregivers from UMass Memorial on how they can save the mother and son, according to CBS News. These desperate measures helped Kai improve slowly from his condition and he was able to be discharged from the hospital a few days later.

The same can't be said of Kam, though, with medical officials saying that she needed more dramatic intervention because of the mushroom poisoning. She was placed on the transplant list in hopes that a donated liver could save her life due to the severity of the damage to her organ.

Both Kam and Kai survive the health scare

Fortunately for Kam, she received the liver within a few days and a high-stakes surgery was performed on her. The mother spent several days intubated in the ICU following the transplant with specially trained transplant caregivers carefully monitoring her, according to Telegram & Gazette.

They used a complex array of medications to keep the mom stable. Kam responded to the treatment and slowly recovered. She was moved to an acute care floor, and eventually to a rehabilitation facility. After a long wait, Kam is now set to return home.

The clinical team as well as Kam and Kai are slated to gather at the hospital on Thursday, October 20, to share to others a major message of caution about mushrooms. According to UMass health officials, mushroom poisoning is part of a concerning trend that involves a subculture of foragers. They scour the internet to find and identify mushrooms not only for eating but also for a psychedelic experience.