Texoma Toddler Bitten By Rattlesnake Recovering After Receiving 18 Vials of Antivenom
Last Thursday (10/5), 2-year-old Brenli Sharp was bitten on her foot twice by a rattlesnake on her front porch as she and her mother were entering their home near Iowa Park. Brenli would spend the next five days at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth receiving specialized treatment for the snakebite due to her age.
After countless blood tests and 18 vials of antivenom, Brenli's parents, Trent and Cadi Sharp, were finally able to take her home on Tuesday (10/10), however, Brenli wasn't quite out of the woods yet as the swelling and pain persisted. On Thursday (10/12), after one more blood test, the Sharp's pediatrician shared the good news that Brenli's blood is officially clear of the rattlesnake venom.
Thankfully, Brenli is now on her way to a full recovery, however, the Sharps are now faced with the huge financial burden of a snakebite hospital stay. Rattlesnake antivenom does not come cheap. At about $2,500 a vial, the Sharp's bill for the antivenom alone will be upwards of $50,000, which may not all be covered by insurance.
Cadi says the snakebite incident comes less than a month after Trent lost his father and just six months before the couple welcomes their second child into the world. "Since coming home the phrase 'financial turmoil' comes to mind quite often with some major anxiety," Trent said.
If you would like to support the Sharps and help ease their financial burden, there are several ways you can help.
A benefit for the family has been planned for Saturday October 21 at Lucy Park from 11am to 2pm. There will be BBQ plates for sale ($10 for adults, $7 for kids), raffle tickets for great prizes, face painting, art activities, a cake walk every 15 minutes, and more.
Some of Cadi's coworkers have set up a fundraiser selling "Help Fight the Bite for Brenli" t-shirts for $20 each, and a GoFundMe Page benefiting the Sharps has raised just over $17,000 of the $80,000 goal.
As for all of the support and prayers they have already received, Cadi had this to say,
I am humbled by the support by friends and family and even complete strangers. The kindness everyone has given brings tears to my eyes. I just want to let everyone know how thankful I am of everything they are doing. I wish I could thank everyone individually but they are so many, which is amazing. My work family and community has banded together to support Brenli and I am eternally grateful."
The Sharps have since hired PW Snake Removal to look for snakes on their property. So far they have captured six four-foot rattlers slithering around the family's yard.