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WORCESTER (WBZNewsRadio) - A mother and son are lucky to be alive after eating a deadly mushroom known as a 'Death Cap.'
Kai Chen and his 63 year old mother, Kam Look live in Amherst, but are originally from Malaysia. The pair went out to forage mushrooms for dinner, something they regularly and safely did in Malaysia.
They tested the mushrooms by cooking them in ginger, which typically turns poisonous mushrooms black. Unfortunately Death Cap mushrooms do not respond to heat.
After eating the mushrooms, both of them became severely ill and suffered life-threatening liver damage. Doctors at UMass gave them an experimental drug which saved their lives. Kam received a liver transplant.
"The mom spent several days intubated in the ICU and was carefully cared for by specially trained transplant caregivers who used a complex array of medications to keep her stable," UMass Memorial said in a news release.
"For me, what I went through doesn't really matter for me, everything is all about my mom and how she is doing." Kai said.
WBZ's John Baibak reports
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