According to the Centers for Disease Control, Legionnaire’s Disease is a rare form of pneumonia caused by a bacterium that lives in warm water and is known to thrive in improperly disinfected hot tubs. A person can contract the disease by breathing contaminated air.
After her family admitted her to the hospital, Haler woke up disoriented, not knowing where she was, and attempting to remove the tubes from her mouth that were keeping her alive.
Her health deteriorated dramatically before showing any signs of improvement.
“When I was in the hospital after I woke up, all the skin started peeling off my body,” Haler said. “I would peel it in like layers off my hand and stuff. It was all over my body like that, and my hair was falling out. I’ve got bald spots in my head from brushing my hair, and my hair just falls out. I’ve had kidney failure, septic shock. I’ve had dialysis. I have the scars on my neck. There are a lot of things that can happen when you do get Legionnaire’s.”
Originally from Alden, Minnesota, she was staying at the Albert Lea Ramada Inn while visiting her daughter and used the hot tub only days before becoming ill.
She says she hopes that anyone who owns a spa knows how to properly care for it to keep it safe for use.
“Make sure that you are following the guidelines, because this can come out of nowhere. We never expected this,” Haler said.
