Death linked to salmonella, family to sue
Source of Article: http://www.perhameb.com/articles/index.cfm?id=10899§ion=News Louis Hoglund Perham
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After battling a brain tumor for months, with her family hoping to bring
her home for the holidays, an
Rural Perham resident Shirley Mae Almer,
a 1954 graduate of
Cause of death wasn’t entirely certain, but the family received a call
Jan. 6 from the Minnesota Department of Health. The family was informed that
she had salmonella bacteria in her blood.
“She had been fighting something very dangerous, very deadly, and she had
overcome it,” said her son, Pat Almer, Perham.
“Then, to think she was overcome by something else, it all seems so
negligent. It’s hard to understand it all.”
A
In both cases, “they consumed peanut butter that state health officials
have since confirmed was contaminated by the same strain of salmonella
bacteria that has sickened at least 425 people in 43 states since
mid-September,” stated a news release from attorney Fred Pritzker,
who is handling the case.
The lawsuit will be brought on behalf of Shirley Almer’s
heirs, and will target a Georgia-based manufacturer of the peanut butter
product.
Almer had been in remission from her cancer, and
her stay at the Brainerd Good Samaritan nursing home was intended to be
temporary, said her son Pat Almer.
Almer’s daughter, Ginger Lorentz, fed her mother
peanut butter at the nursing home a couple of weeks before she died, the
Wadena Pioneer Journal reported. As far as she knows, that is the last time Almer had peanut butter. Almer
was staying at Bethany Good Samaritan Village to recover from a urinary tract
infection, Ginger said. She battled lung cancer two years ago and was
diagnosed with a brain tumor this summer, Ginger said. Almer
was cancer free since October.
“She had been sick for a long time for other reasons, but we were ready to
bring her home for the holidays,” said Pat Almer.
His mother had suffered a seizure in July, and was diagnosed with a cancerous
brain tumor. “She had been through a lot as far as fighting her cancer...and
it wasn’t active at the time. It has been quite a roller coaster.”
The federal investigation into the salmonella outbreak is focused on
peanut processing plants and distributors who are food suppliers to
institutions--such as long term care facilities.
“As the story keeps breaking that more and more people have gotten sick;
and all the stories about product recalls; it’s pretty amazing that only a
few people have died,” said Pat Almer.
As of last weekend, Minnesota Department of Health officials stated that
35 Minnesotans had been sickened by exposure to the peanut butter, and 13 of
those people had been hospitalized.
Almer was the full owner of Wadena Lanes up
until the time of her death, Ginger said. Her mother was a very kind and
generous person who was very patriotic and involved with her business. She
stayed active even in her retirement, she said.
Shirley Almer is survived by sons, Jeffrey (Becci) Almer of Burnsville,
Patrick Almer, and Michael Almer,
both of Perham; daughters, Victoria (Pete) Hammes
of Oakdale, and Virginia (Kevin) Lorentz of Brainerd; four grandchildren,
Isaac, Shelby, and Shanice Lorentz, and Madeline
Murphy; and sister, Mary Barden of Phoenix, AZ.
Funeral services were December 27 at
Editor’s note: Some of the information in the story was provided by the
Wadena Pioneer Journal.
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