02/25/2012    

PODIATRISTS TRAGEDIES IN THE NEWS

Colorado Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak Claims Podiatrist's Life

The Colorado cantaloupe listeria outbreak claimed another victim Tuesday with the death of Dr. Mike Hauser after a long illness, raising an estimate of the toll to 34 adults. Hauser, profiled in The Denver Post in December, died Tuesday at age 68 after first falling ill in September. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's December report said all the deaths resulted from eating cantaloupe grown at Jensen Farms in southeastern Colorado.

Dr. Mike Hauser

A formerly robust retired podiatrist, Hauser was left with seizures and in a coma as a result of the listeriosis. When he awoke, he was largely unresponsive for weeks. The big Hauser family had hope recently, with Mike finally out of rehabilitation hospitals. But an apparent infection sent Hauser back to the hospital this week, where he died Tuesday morning.

Source: Michael Booth, Denver Post [2/22/12]