SAN ANTONIO — A dream vacation for one San Antonio couple in Mexico City turned into a nightmare and near-death experience.
Anthony Grigsby and Rachel Villarreal claimed they were poisoned by alcohol laced with methanol back on January 14.
Villarreal spent weeks in a hospital in Mexico City and at one point, her boyfriend said she was fighting for her life.
The couple is now back in San Antonio and sharing their experience.
Timeline of Events
Grigsby said they landed in Mexico City on January 11. He said this trip was a year in the making.
On Sunday, January 14, the couple visited Xochimilco. While on a tour of the canal, they were approached by a local vendor.
"We had some pulque shots,” Grigsby said.
Grigsby said they took two shots each of the fermented alcohol. He said they felt fine until the car ride back to their Airbnb.
"Rachel started complaining about feeling a headache and her tummy hurting,” Grigsby said.
That night, he said Rachel’s symptoms worsened. She could not stop throwing up.
The next day, on Monday the 15th, he said she was bed ridden and that is when he started feeling sick.
Then on January 16, Grigsby woke up and Rachel was not on the bed next to him.
“I look over and she's on the floor you know face down,” Grigsby said. "I turn her over and her eyes are rolled back and it was the worst feeling in the world."
Grigsby said he called an ambulance and Rachel was placed in ICU, intubated at a clinic. He was also admitted and treated for his symptoms. Although, he said they were not nearly as severe.
"The doctor said like that she was near death and probably that she has brain damage,” he said.
According to her medical records shared with KENS 5, her blood pressure was low, her brain was swelling, and her kidneys were failing.
"The doctor explained what the results of the toxicology report, that Rachel had consumed methanol,” Grigsby said.
Grigsby believes the pulque shots contained methanol, alleging they had consumed tainted alcohol. He filed a police report with Mexican authorities.
What happens when you consume methanol?
Doctor Shawn Varney is the Medical Director at the South Texas Poison Center and a toxicologist with both University Health and UT Health. He said it does not take much for methanol to become deadly.
"A toxic amount is really only like maybe 10 to 30 mil, you know that's like a shot,” Varney said.
In 2017, the state department warned travelers to Mexico about tainted or counterfeit alcohol following the death of a Wisconsin woman.
“It can be up to 24, even 30 hours, that much time later, you can develop visual problems, even blindness, you could have coma, seizures and some people, actually a lot of people have died from methanol toxicity,” Dr. Shawn Varney said.
He said people who make homemade, unregulated alcohol will use methanol.
"It's a cheaper substitute than real ethanol and you know real alcohol,” Dr. Varney said.
Varney said it is important to be cautious when buying alcohol, anywhere. He said pay attention when someone is making you a drink. He recommends if you are traveling, to stick to alcohol brands you are familiar with.
“If you want to avoid all problems, the easiest solution is to not drink,” Dr. Varney said.
Rachel’s Recovery
Rachel’s recovery had its ups and downs according to Grigsby. Both her family and his family were able to fly to Mexico to be a support system. He said after her doctors in Mexico performed a tracheotomy, she started to show vast improvement.
On Wednesday, February 14, the couple were flown back to San Antonio by air-evac. She was admitted to St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital where she remains now.
She has been talking and walking but will need physical and speech therapy. Grigsby said she should be out of the hospital in the next few days.
Grigsby said as the medical bill grew, they knew they needed to ask for help. They are still raising funds through their GoFundMe.
"We needed to save Rachel’s life,” Grigsby said.
Grigsby said he is not sharing their story to scare people from traveling to Mexico City, but to remind people to be careful when they consume alcohol, anywhere.
TRENDING:
> MORE ON KENS