The Arizona community is rallying behind a toddler recovering from a harrowing snakebite incident earlier this month. Fifteen-month-old Cara Reed, while in the midst of play at her Florence home, was bitten twice on her left foot by a rattlesnake, as USA Today reported. Following a swift response by her mother and an urgent airlift to Phoenix Children's Hospital, Cara's recovery is ongoing, though she faces a tough road ahead entailing a possible reconstructive surgery and physical therapy for her foot.
The alarming episode unfolded when Jacquelyn Reed, momentarily distracted by a household chore, returned to find Cara crying with puncture wounds on her foot and spotted the offending snake near a propane tank, FOX 10 Phoenix detailed, having triggered a medical emergency that saw Cara's foot turn black and necessitate hospitalization with plummeting oxygen levels and multiple doses of antivenom to counterattack the venom's threatening effects. Despite immense challenges, including the toddler's introduction to a breathing tube and feeding via nasal tube, Cara displayed remarkable resilience: she's been discharged home after a six-day hospital stay where she received an extensive series of antivenom treatments.
Post-discharge, Jacquelyn Reed acknowledged her daughter's ordeal has indeed altered her once vibrant personality, "She's laughed one time and giggled one time, so we're excited that she can start to perk back up before she has to go back under," she said in a statement obtained by USA TODAY. The Reed family is now focusing on Cara's physical therapy and the scheduling of upcoming surgery that may involve debridement and possibly a skin graft.
The family's financial strain has been somewhat mitigated thanks to the outpouring of generous public support through a GoFundMe fundraiser that, as of May 24, has raised over $45,000. "Matthew and I truly believe that her best chance of recovering while not much medical intervention is needed is at home with her family, she is so very loved and so very cared for," Jacquelyn shared heartfelt sentiments on social media, as reported by USA Today. While statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reflected rattlesnake bites to be rarely fatal, with only about five fatal cases out of 7,000 to 8,000 bites each year in the U.S., Cara's encounter is a stark reminder of the unexpected dangers lurking even in one's own backyard.
