A year after his wife died from eating a poisonous mushroom inside a sushi roll, a Montana man is speaking out. Donna Ventura, 64, became gravely ill after lunch at Dave's Sushi in Bozeman. Her husband, Jon, said he watched the woman he'd loved for more than 30 years die in agony because of allegedly ingesting an uncooked morel mushroom in April 2023.
According to the New York Post, at least 51 people became ill after eating at Dave's Sushi. Two, including Donna Ventura, died. Now, her husband is suing and wants the restaurant to be held accountable.
More from CafeMom: Waitress Refuses To Serve 'Regular' Family Mac & Cheese Because the Kid Vomits Every Time
The couple reportedly met some friends for a sushi lunch.
Jon and Donna met friends at Dave's Sushi on April 17, 2023, Per KBZK. Within an hour of ordering and eating a special roll, Donna became gravely ill.
"She had the special roll with what we now know — uncooked morel mushrooms," Ventura told the news outlet. "I called for an ambulance, and in the hospital, she went into full cardiac arrest," he said. He had no idea the pain his wife was set to endure in the following 12 days.
Donna Ventura was in intensive care.
She was admitted into Bozeman Deaconess Regional Medical Center in the ICU, and the toxins from the morel mushrooms caused kidney failure, Ventura told KBZK.
"Her skin was tight, fluids were building up in her system — she was in enormous pain," Ventura said.
He added that in addition to the tremendous amount of pain, she lost her ability to speak and had to communicate by writing notes with a red marker.
The husband was left with a horrific decision.
Ventura said his wife's quality of life was fleeting, and the notes were heartbreaking.
"Some of the messages she wrote were: 'I'm not sure I can go on much longer, how are we going to manage, I can't stand the pain, can somebody clean my mouth.' The last couple she wrote were to me and our son where she wrote, 'I love you,' and to our son, she wrote, 'I love you, Mr. C.'"
He finally decided to remove her feeding tube.
"When you're married for as long as I was, you can understand your partner's body language and looks," Ventura said. "The third or fourth time I talked to her about it I got the look that said, I've made my decision and I'm done, I'm not talking about this anymore."
Donna Ventura died April 29, 2023.
Ventura sued Dave's Sushi.
He told KBZK that his life would never be the same without Donna by his side and that he wants the restaurant to pay for what it did to her.
"They've avoided all responsibility for the pain and suffering they've caused not only me and my son but every person affected by their atrocious behavior," he said. He hopes to start a scholarship in his wife's honor with any proceeds from the lawsuit.
More from CafeMom: Woman Suing Restaurant After She Says Manager's Severed Finger Ended Up in Her Salad
The restaurant is still open for business.
According to the Post, it closed for a short time after the outbreak of illness but is now once again open. In a statement posted on Instagram, the company claimed it was cooperating with the health department and would do its best to prevent this type of tragedy in the future.
"No matter the circumstances or the findings, our hearts go out to the loved ones of the two people who passed away and to all who have been impacted," the post reads.
Ventura feels unsafe eating at Dave's and issued a warning via KBZK.
"I worry greatly about the people who eat at Dave's Sushi," he said. "If you look at the records available through the Gallatin County Health Department, they've had multiple health code violations, not only at Dave's Sushi but the other restaurants Aaron Parker owns, Jam and Revelry."
