LAFAYETTE (KLFY/CNN) – Raw oysters are enjoyed by many people despite some of the health risks associated with eating the shellfish.
One woman’s family is working to warn others about the dangers of eating raw oysters after she lost her life.
Jeanette Leblanc, a Texas resident, was visiting family in Louisiana when her wife, Vicki Bergquist said she shucked and ate about two dozen raw oysters, before falling ill.
"About 36 hours later she started having extreme respiratory distress, had a rash on her legs and everything," Bergquist said.
Leblanc’s friend, Karen Bowers said they all thought it was an allergic reaction.
After 48 hours, Leblanc’s condition went from bad to worse, and that’s when doctors told her she had Vibrio.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, people become infected with Vibrio after eating raw or undercooked shellfish or by exposing open wounds to brackish water. It was determined that Leblanc had been in contact with both.
Leblanc fought for the next 21 days, but was unable to recover. She died on October 15, 2017.
"If we had known that the risk was so high you know, I think we would've or she would have stopped eating oysters," Bergquist said.
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