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North Port woman survives deadly rattlesnake bite
Jordan Bowen reports.
NORTH PORT, Fla. - A North Port woman is recovering in the hospital after a rattlesnake bite nearly killed her.
It happened as she was hiking in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Within minutes, she went into anaphylactic shock, and at one point, doctors told her family to say their goodbyes, but thankfully, she is making major progress in her recovery.
The bite marks are still visible on 21-year-old Sierra Lynn's bruised, blue and swollen leg after a near deadly encounter with an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake.
READ: Deputies capture snake that slithered into Pinellas County home
"We didn't know, really know, if she was going to pull through," her boyfriend Derrick Hunter said. "One of the fangs went directly into her vein. And then probably the running causes the blood to pump real quickly into the heart. And she went into anaphylactic shock. And within five minutes she was on the ground."
For Hunter, the last 13 days have been a roller coaster of uncertainty. Back on May 19, Lynn and her friend were hiking on Prosper Trail in the preserve in North Port when she stepped over a log and felt something on her leg.
Lynn's boyfriend had to act fast when she was bitten.
"She thought she got whacked by a tree branch on the back end, on the right, on the lower part of her calf and she turned around, saw the snake, said, ‘Oh, crap. I just got bit’ and knew to call 911 immediately," Hunter said.
He said she and her friend tried running back to their cars, but within minutes, Lynn was down and went in and out consciousness. Doctors later told her the running may have made things worse.
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Eventually paramedics met them on the trail and rushed her to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Doctors administered 58 vials of anti-venom, telling the family it's the most they've ever done for a snake bite.
"Within the next morning like that, organs and everything completely turned around. Heart was coming back strong and then 48 hours after then on into that Sunday her breathing was coming back. And Sunday night, she came off that breathing tube. It was incredible. It was absolute miracles," Hunter said.
Doctors say Lynn will be able to walk again.
She was forced to ring in her 21st birthday in the hospital, but family made sure to make it special. So far, she's had five blood transfusions and three different procedures to relieve pressure and remove all the infected dead tissue.
"She's a very strong girl, and she is dedicated and just absolutely happy to be alive and have the chance to be here and be able to walk again," Hunter said.
She's now undergoing physical therapy and still has a few weeks left in the hospital, but doctors say she will indeed be able to walk again.
Lynn created a GoFundMe.