News you probably don't want to hear about raw cookie dough.

Image via Wiki Commons 

We’re sorry to bring you the sad news that you will never be able to look at cookie dough the same way again.

Tragic, yes. But not as tragic as knowing one US woman potentially died after eating a few “harmless bites of raw cookie dough” back in 2009.

Linda Rivera’s son claimed that his mother died from a four-year battle with an E. Coli infection after eating pre-packaged raw cookie dough from the supermarket.

A week after eating the dough, her kidneys stopped functioning and she went into septic shock. Over the next four years, she became sicker as more of her organs failed.

Her infection, and eventual death, resulted in the raw cookie dough being pulled from shelves for traces of the dangerous bacteria.

Burning health question: Can I eat dessert everyday?

Medical Daily reports that 65 people in 29 states reported similar E. coli infections as a result of consuming the product. The company responsible shut down their food plant and thoroughly cleaned all equipment before re-launching the product with a warning not to eat the raw product.

“Due to what doctors believe was the result of the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria attacking her brain, Rivera eventually lost her ability to speak. Rivera, along with nine other victims, had developed a life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome. One of the victims was a 4-year-old girl form South Carolina who was left partially paralyzed following a stroke,” reports Medical Daily.

Rivera’s family reached an undisclosed settlement with the cookie dough’s company later on, reports ABC.