MONROE COUNTY ADVOCATE-DEMOCRAT (Sweetwater, Tennessee) 30 May 03 Tellico boy recovering from copperhead bite (Melissa Kinton)
Tellico Plains: Seven-year-old Jacob Stewart of Tellico Plains narrowly escaped serious injury last week after being bitten by a copperhead snake.
Jacob and his little sister, Maggie, were playing basketball May 23 in the driveway at their house in the Rafter community when the ball bounced out of bounds. When Jacob went to retrieve the ball, the snake bit him on the leg.
I think I stepped on him, said Jacob. Thats what made him so mad. It felt like a branch touched me. I think he wiggled his teeth.
Jacob ran back to the house and told his parents he thought he had been bitten. His father, Jody, and family friend, Gary Fields, went looking for the snake to identify it while Jacobs mom, Sharroan, wrapped a loose tourniquet and ice around the bite.
It bled some and was starting to swell, said Sharroan Stewart.
After finding the nearly two- foot long copperhead and killing it, the Stewarts put Jacob in their truck and rushed him to Sweetwater Hospital. The family said they had a bad experience once before waiting for an ambulance to come from Madisonville when their daughter had an asthma attack, so they decided to risk it on their own. The drive from Rafter to Sweetwater normally takes 45 minutes to an hour.
Stewart said doctors at Sweetwater Hospital told them Jacob would need to be airlifted to Knoxville, because the did not have any anti-venom. The hospital called UT Medical Centers Lifestar air ambulance and marked the swelling on Jacob?s leg with an ink pen so the doctor in Knoxville would be able to see any additional swelling.
They wouldn’t let me on the helicopter with him, said Stewart.
Jacob was put on the helicopter with a man with a broken back headed to UT Medical Center. Another family friend drove the Stewarts to the hospital, where they were told Jacob was not there and would not be coming there. Sometime between the time Jacob was taken to the helicopter and the time it took his parents to arrive at UT Medical Center, the decision was made to take Jacob to Childrens Hospital.
He was worried the helicopter might run out of gas, said Stewart.
By Saturday morning, Jacobs calf and ankle were the same size as his knee. His toes were purple.
Childrens Hospital had him hooked up to several monitors to be sure he wasnt going into shock or cardiac arrest. Jacob never received any anti-venom. Stewart said the doctor told her it would be better for Jacob if he did not get the serum because he would have to go through serum sickness, which is sometimes as bad as the effects of the actual bite.
Jacob will be on crutches for three weeks. He got a hat from Lifestar and a junior police officer badge from a Knoxville police officer. His cousin gave him a ring neck pheasant feather, which he wears stuck in his Lifestar hat.
I got to ride on a wheel chair, said Jacob. Jacobs sisters favorite television show is the Crocodile Hunter. Mom Sharroan said she had watched it so much with Maggie that she knew the most important thing was to keep Jacob calm. In the truck on the way to the hospital, she encouraged Jacob to count when the pain got too bad. When they got past the hundreds, they sang Jesus Loves Me.
By the time they got to Sweetwater Hospital, Jacobs pain was so bad that he couldnt count or sing.
If it hadnt been for the Lord, it would have been a lot worse, said Stewart. I know the Lord helped him. The family said they had lots of people praying for Jacob. We appreciate all the prayers and community support.
Four-year-old Maggie stayed behind with her grandparents while Jacob went to the hospital. She got to go see him Saturday. She asked her mother if anything like this happened again to please take her with them. She said if they ever left her again, it would break her heart into a million pieces.
Jacob is busy teaching his sister and his cousins to watch out for snakes. He said he just wants them to be safe.
Tellico boy recovering from copperhead bite