My name is Manny, and I’m reaching out for help after a terrifying experience that turned our world upside down. Lynn and I live in a somewhat rural area with our 3-year-old daughter, Addy. Recently, an Amazon package was dropped over our gate onto the yard. Lynn had told Addy about the package, and when Addy saw it, she excitedly ran to pick up her gift. Tragically, a southern pacific rattlesnake was hiding under the brown padded envelope and bit Addy’s left hand. Lynn rushed Addy to meet the fire department and ambulance at a nearby grocery store parking lot. Addy received her first dose of antivenom at the local hospital, but had to be transferred to another hospital with a pediatric ICU. She needed two more doses of antivenom and spent two nights in the hospital. I was out of town for work when this happened, and I flew home as soon as possible to be with Lynn and Addy.

Now, we are facing significant medical bills from Addy’s hospital stay, antivenom treatments, and the pediatric ICU. On top of that, I lost about a week of work to be with Lynn and Addy during this crisis, which has added to our financial strain. We are doing everything we can to support Addy’s healing, but the costs are overwhelming. We never imagined we’d be in this situation, and it’s hard to ask for help, but we need support to get through this difficult time.

We’re asking our community for any help you can offer. Your support will go directly toward covering medical bills and helping us recover from the loss of income. Any contribution, big or small, will make a difference for our family and allow us to focus on Addy’s recovery. Thank you for reading our story and for considering helping us during this challenging time.