WINDSOR TRIBUNE (Colorado) 17 July 07 Windsor community responds to snake bite victim (Jennifer Moore)
The Ditus family say their prayers have been answered.
After 14-year-old Trenton Ditus survived a baby prairie rattlesnake bite on June 23 in Wellington, the family has been overwhelmed with community support.
Trenton, who lives in Windsor with his parents, was with a friend in a garage searching for clay pigeons to shoot when he reached in a bag and felt the snake bite his left middle finger.
The soon-to-be freshman at Windsor High School was transported by ambulance to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins and given 13 treatments of antivenin and spent two days in the pediatric intensive care unit before being transferred into a regular room. Trenton was released on June 26 and will make a full recovery.
The family does not have health insurance, and while at the hospital a nurse quoted Trenton's mother, Sherry, each antivenin shot could cost up to $10,000. This did not include the hospital stay or any other medical bills.
Sherry said the family received numerous calls and prayers from members of their church, Windsor Assembly of God, and other community members wanting to help in any way possible.
Pastor Paul Veliquette was at the hospital offering Trenton and his family words of encouragement and started a prayer train with member of the church. He said in just a few hours most of the congregation knew and were praying for the Ditus family.
"The word got out quickly," Veliquette said. "They prayed for Trenton's safety and to keep him with us."
In the next few weeks, Veliquette and Gayle Duggar, along with other members of the church, began brainstorming other ways to help the Ditus family with their medical bills.
On Monday, the church formed a response program called Windsor Cares that will help uninsured and underinsured families with large medical bills. Veliquette said the program will be beneficial not only to the Ditus family, but other families in the Windsor community. Donation can be made directly to Windsor Cares and more information can be found at www.windsorcares.org.
"My heart said let's embrace this community and see what can we do to help this community," Veliquette said.
Veliquette, who started at the church in the beginning of June, said the Windsor Cares bank account has already received more than $3,000 and can't believe the outreach from this community.
"Coming from Arvada this is a huge different. Although Windsor is growing, it still has what I call an elevated sense of community," Veliquette said. "This is our town and our people and we take care about our people."
Last week, Sherry said she received another blessing when the hospital bill came and she noticed they were only charged for four antivenin shots and the bill was reduced to $83,051.44.
"Really kudos to the hospital and their care was so wonderful," Sherry said. "(The support) has been overwhelming. We are just so blessed."
Sherry said Trenton is "back on the drums" and felling "awesome." She said his last visit to the hospital for therapy is this week.

Community responds to snake bite victim