Twelve-year-old Elgin resident Bella Ramirez Schroeder had no idea what was in store when she ran down her family’s gravel driveway while playing with her sister, Valtina.
Suddenly feeling a stabbing pain in her foot, Bella looked down and saw the source of the discomfort.
She had inadvertently stepped on a Mojave rattlesnake.
“I’ve been bit by a snake,” she quietly said to Valtina. Valtina, being the younger and more reactive of the two, screamed and ran to their mother, Jenny Schroeder. “Bella’s been bit by a snake!” Valtina yelled.
911 was called, but after receiving a response from the dispatcher informing them that they “couldn’t find the address in their computer system,” Jenny and her husband Max loaded the family in the car and drove to the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District (SEFD) station. As they sped to the station, Jenny made a call to a friend who worked there and told him of the situation. He made sure that the SEFD immediately dispatched a helicopter for flight to Banner Hospital in Tucson. On the drive into SEFD, Valtina “made me promise not to die” said Bella. The helicopter landed 17 minutes after the Schroeder family’s arrival at the fire station.
“I wanted to cry and was really tired,” said Bella, describing waiting for the helicopter to arrive. Eventually she lost consciousness, and has no memory of the flight. When she arrived at the hospital, she regained consciousness and Valtina said, “Thank you for not dying!”
Upon arrival at the ICU and after an initial exam, Bella received her first dose of anti-venom, but the pain and swelling continued to worsen, so a second dose of anti-venom was administered. With this dose, Bella had an anaphylactic reaction: a condition that can cause swelling of the face and throat, trouble breathing, shock and other life-threatening symptoms. Several hours later, after allowing her body to recover from the reaction, she received a third and final anti-venom.
A word about anti-venom. There are many derivations of this remedy, and it was originally formulated nearly 100 years ago, though not commonly used until the 1950s. For pit vipers, which includes rattlesnakes, copperheads and water moccasins, the donor animal is most commonly horses or sheep. These animals mount a robust immune response and are large enough to produce ample amounts of serum for several doses of anti-venom. The donor receives a non-lethal dose of poison (venom) to produce the antibodies or proteins that specifically target and neutralize the venom toxins. After their immune system has had time to respond, their blood is drawn, processed, then the plasma with the antibodies is harvested to produce the anti-venom. Throughout the world there are many species of animals used as donors, depending on the kind of anti-venom needed and donor animal availability.
Each species of venomous snake has a specific type of venom. For example, pit vipers, the most common rattlesnakes in Arizona (diamondbacks, sidewinders and many other subspecies) are mostly equipped with hemotoxic venom, which affects the blood vessels, causing tissue damage and disruption of normal blood clotting. However, here in the Sky Islands, we are “blessed” primarily with Mojave rattlesnakes. Even though it is also a pit viper, its venom has neurotoxic components, similar to the cobra, a non-pit viper. This type of venom can affect nerve function, potentially causing muscle weakness, paralysis and respiratory issues. Thus, a bite from the Mojave can be catastrophic and potentially fatal if not treated aggressively and in a timely manner.
Bella ended up spending four days in Banner’s ICU before doctors determined that it was safe for her to return home. A minor bout of “serum sickness,” often a reaction to the anti-venom, arose but was quickly addressed and gone in a few days.
Bella’s father, Max, spent each evening after the incident outdoors with a flashlight looking for any more rattlers on the property that could possibly threaten the safety of the family. The day after Bella was bitten, he found the offending snake near the same spot in the driveway and sent it “over the rainbow,” as we say.
The family appreciates all of the love and support from neighbors, friends and the community. Now fully recovered, Bella is back at school with quite a story to tell.