Marler Clark , The Food Safety Law Firm, represents 30 families in the ByHeart Botulism outbreak: the Mazziotti family's story is featured in People Magazine.
People | By Kayla Grant | December 10, 2025
Amy Mazziotti recalls feeling "terrified" for her son as they navigated his sudden diagnosis
One mom is sharing her experience after her baby boy was hospitalized with infant botulism amid the ByHeart infant formula recall.
Amy Mazziotti, a 43-year-old mom of three based in California, tells PEOPLE that her son Hank started to experience symptoms of infant botulism, a rare, life-threatening condition that can cause a slow form of paralysis in infants, after consuming bottles made from the ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. Amy, who shares her children with husband Anthony Mazziotti, 40, says it was "one of the scariest experiences of my life."
"Watching Hank grow weaker and more fragile was heartbreaking," Amy says. "I felt a mix of fear, guilt, and frustration, especially knowing this might have been preventable."
Back in March, when her son Hank was only 5 months old, Amy started to notice some signs of illness. The doting mom shares that the first symptoms were "subtle," noting that he was only constipated and it didn't make her "immediately concerned." However, she tells PEOPLE that after a few days, more "worrying" symptoms started appearing.
"I remember texting my husband, Anthony, saying that Hank seemed 'loose,' like he had suddenly lost muscle tone," she explains. "He had just recently learned to roll over, and now he couldn’t. He also was no longer able to drink his bottle. That’s when I decided to take him to his pediatrician."
"When I took Hank to his pediatrician, she was immediately concerned," she continued, noting that because of infant botulism's subtle signs, everyone initially thought her son had meningitis. "We spent hours in the emergency room as Hank continued to decline until a series of questions led us to suspect infant botulism."
Immediately, Amy says she began researching infant botulism and quickly recognized the symptoms. She adds that her son even resembled some of the pictures of other babies who had the diagnosis. Eventually, they were transported to the children's hospital, where doctors confirmed what they suspected and began treatment.
On Saturday, Nov. 8, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in a news release that the baby nutrition company ByHeart Inc. recalled two batches of its Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. In the weeks that followed, more cases, like Amy's son Hank were reported.
In a Wednesday, Nov. 26 press release, the FDA stated that it is investigating a multi-state outbreak of infant botulism linked to the formula, as 37 infants were hospitalized. Illnesses began on Aug. 9, and 17 states have since been affected. No deaths have been reported at this time.
Amy tells PEOPLE that she "always suspected" the formula was the cause of her son's sudden illness because of how perfectly the timing lined up. She even kept telling the hospital staff that she had a "gut feeling about the formula," but she was constantly reassured that babies don't get botulism from formula.
Months later, when she heard about the recall, she says her theory was confirmed.
or the next few weeks, Hank received various methods of intensive care, including multiple neurology appointments, swallow studies, and physical and occupational therapy sessions.
"Including BabyBIG, a medication that neutralizes the botulism toxin. He stayed in the hospital for two weeks, during which he was fed through an [nasogastric] tube, though we were fortunate he was discharged without it," Amy tells PEOPLE. "His recovery took several weeks, during which he gradually regained muscle tone and resumed normal feeding.
Amy recalls feeling "terrified" for her son during this entire process. She also adds that she felt a "deep heartache" from being away from her other kids — son Hudson, 3, and daughter Harlow, 8.
"Hank's illness affected our entire family. Not just me or my husband but his older siblings as well," she says. "There are still things we struggle with and there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think about that time."
Now, several months after his diagnosis, Amy tells PEOPLE her son is "doing very well." While he still has to attend weekly physical therapy sessions for residual low muscle tone and struggles with chronic constipation, she says he's returned to being an "active, happy child."
"Despite these ongoing challenges, he is back to being an active, happy child," she says, reflecting on the overall situation. "The experience was incredibly difficult, but we are so grateful for the medical care he received, and for the awareness this recall has raised to help protect other babies."
"This recall has been absolutely devastating, and my heart goes out to all families affected by it. Infant botulism is very rare, and most know very little of it," she adds. "It’s very important to keep talking about this, and if I can help just one person learn the signs and symptoms and help educate others, I feel like I’m helping in some way."