4 released, 2 critical after eating toxic mushrooms

Four members of a Santa Cruz family who were poisoned eating wild mushrooms on New Year’s Day have been released from the hospital, but two others remain in critical condition.

The pair are so ill that they may require liver transplants, although doctors are doing what they can to stabilize their health since replacement organs are scarce, said Kevin McCormack, a spokesman for California Pacific Medical Center.

Several members of the family fell ill after going mushroom hunting at Wilder Ranch State Park, county health officials said. Led by a grandmother visiting from Mexico, they collected six species of mushrooms, including a poisonous variety that looks similar to an edible variety common in Mexico.