A woman who was left in a coma after drinking a protein shake is seeking help for stem cell treatment.
Marta Pérez suffered a severe allergic reaction after consuming a health drink with pistachio at her local gym.
The 19-year-old asked someone there if the drink contained nuts, as she is allergic to them, and was told no.
However, the drink contained pistachios and Marta went into anaphylactic shock in September 2022.
The severe reaction led to cardiorespiratory arrest and Marta, 18 years old at the time, slipped into a coma for several weeks.
She was admitted to the Hospital Verge dels Llris in Alcoi, Spain, before being transferred to the Vithas València Consuelo Hospital in Valencia.
Today, she remains bedridden and unable to speak aside from a few words.
Her parents Juan and Maria – who have also have a 12-year-old child – have been providing updates on Marta’s care on Instagram, as reported by Need to Know.
Maria said of her neuro-rehabilitation treatment: “She listens to you.
She says ‘mum’ a lot, and I have managed to get her to say ‘hello’ and ‘water’.
“With a new study and the gathered data, they were able to tell us, like they did before, that Marta understands everything perfectly and that her brain responds immediately, not slowly.
“It responds immediately to any command and stimulus, but she is not yet capable of executing it.”
Yesterday (29 April), Marta’s mum said they are raising funds for stem cell treatment for their daughter on her Instagram page.
She shared a post from an allergy help group that is assisting with Marta’s recovery.
The post reads: “We are all Marta.
“Her nightmare – and that of her family – began with a protein shake that had hidden pistachio. Marta is allergic to nuts.
“The reaction did not take long to arrive and anaphylactic shock erupted into cardiorespiratory arrest that left Marta in a coma.
“Since then Marta has fought like never before in her neuro-rehabilitation treatment.
“Financing stem cell treatment is the goal that her parents want to pursue to improve her quality of life.
“I doubt there is a single family who lives with allergies that does not identify with Marta’s plight.”
Marta’s mum said they hope the stem cell treatment will improve the neural connections in her brain.
She said it involves travelling to Mexico for the “implantation of these stem cells in the bone marrow”.
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