<p>A man paralyzed after being injected with a knockoff wrinkle-remover similar to Botox took his first public steps since Thanksgiving weekend before boarding a private plane Thursday to a Georgia rehabilitation center.</p><p>But Eric Kaplan's wife, Bonnie Kaplan, who was injected with the same toxin, has improved only slightly and was carried aboard another plane on a stretcher. She breathes with the help of a ventilator for more than 22 hours a day and rarely speaks, said her attorney, Stuart Z. Grossman. Both left a hospital intensive care unit for the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.</p><p>"How much of their life they will get back is unclear," Grossman said. "That they are even with us is amazing."</p><p>The Kaplans have been hospitalized since Nov. 26, just days after they went to Advanced Integrated Medical Centers in Broward County for what they believed were Botox injections. Federal investigators say the Kaplans instead were injected with a mixture of botulism toxin 10 times stronger than Botox.</p><p>The couple soon began losing their vision, speech, felt extreme flu-like symptoms and complained that they felt like their bodies weighed a few tons.</p><p>They are suing the company that makes the botulism toxin, the clinic where they received the shots, its owners, and the doctor who injected them. That doctor, Bach McComb, also injected himself and his 34-year-old girlfriend, Alma Hall, with the toxin in November. Both are hospitalized with similarly severe symptoms.</p><p>McComb faces criminal prosecution for practicing medicine after his osteopathic license was suspended. He created the excessively stronger solution by diluting powdered botulism intended for animal research with saline, federal investigators said.</p><p>Records seized from Toxin Research International, which is named as a defendant in the suit, showed it sold botulism to 13 southern Florida customers for more than $53,200, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.</p><p>"There is botulism in South Florida. It may say, 'Not for human use,' but it's here and being used," Grossman said. "We know people like McComb can get their hands on it, and reputable doctors can get their hands on it."</p><p>Botulism is a rare, paralytic disease caused by a nerve toxin produced by a bacteria that, in nature, can enter the system through food or a wound. About 8 percent of those who contract it die. For those who survive, recovery can take years.</p><p>Botox is a much weakened version of the botulism toxin and is considered safe. It is injected at the site of a wrinkle to paralyze the nerve causing the crease, smoothing the skin. The treatment lasts a few months.</p><p>Grossman said Eric Kaplan was able to speak briefly before boarding the plane and asked about his wife who left about 15 minutes before him. Eric Kaplan took about 15 steps toward the plane with the help of others and then took five steps up into the plane. Previously, both he and his wife could not speak or move.</p><p>"They look pail and frail and hopeful," Grossman said.</p><p>_</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>Shepherd Center: www.shepherd.org</p>
