by PHOENIX — A 15-month-old has a long road to recovery after the family says the toddler was bitten by a rattlesnake twice.
Jacquelyn Reed said her daughter, Cara, has been at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Phoenix since Friday. They were flown there shortly after the incident.
“I was terrified,” Reed said.
The family lives near Florence, Arizona. Reed said she and Cara were out walking their property when Reed went to throw away a piece of trash. She said she walked away for only ten seconds when she heard Cara start to cry.
“[Cara] had four puncture wounds on the top of her foot, in the little window of her little jelly shoe, and behind her, to her left was a snake coiled up,” Reed said.
She immediately scooped her daughter up and rushed to a nearby emergency room. She said that within the hour, Cara’s foot started to turn dark and ended up vomiting before passing out. The hospital then airlifted them to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment.
“She’s had 30 vials of antivenom so far,” Reed said.
Apart from Cara’s foot, which Reed still doesn’t know if it will regain full function, the 15-month-old had difficulty breathing. Reed said her daughter’s oxygen levels were at 25% at some points and she had to be intubated.
“It’s really difficult to watch all of her complications,” Reed said.
Within the past 24 hours, Reed said Cara has started to make some progress. She’s able to wiggle her toes and had the breathing tube removed. She believes that if it wasn’t for her leaving immediately for the hospital, Cara may not be here.
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“It was really about the response of moving quickly that I think saved her life,” Reed said.
Cara has a long road to recovery, with some questions still left unanswered about what that recovery will look like. Reed said no matter what happens, she’s just happy Cara is alive.
“[Cara’s} the angel of the family,” Reed said. “Obviously, I hope that we can get full function back, that she can, you know, be back to her normal, happy, like cute, adorable self.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Reed family with medical expenses.
