Lavon Klinger was enjoying a peaceful Sunday afternoon with her Chihuahua, Sampson. It was like any other day when Klinger, 87, would sit on a swing and relax in the backyard of her daughter’s house in West Jacksonville.
But things took a sudden, unfortunate turn that June day. In an instant, Klinger felt something near her feet. Before she could truly realize what was happening, a rattlesnake bit her three times on the left ankle.
She was immediately taken to a hospital that was not equipped to handle the severity of her condition. Klinger was then rushed to UF Health Jacksonville, where physicians and nurses saved her life, while treating her with a level of compassion and respect she says she will always cherish.
Poisonous snakebite
The diamondback rattlesnake attack left six holes in Klinger’s ankle and caused profuse bleeding. Her son-in-law, who later killed the snake, said it was about 5 feet long and had 10 rattles. Diamondbacks are said to be the most venomous snakes in North America.
While at the first medical center, staff began administering antivenom, but Klinger’s weak heart, diabetes and other pre-existing conditions prevented them from being able to admit her. That’s when she was brought to UF Health Jacksonville, which has the personnel and resources to handle the most severe trauma cases.
“My mother had so much venom in her, I didn’t think she was going to survive,” said Klinger’s daughter, Tamie Jedrzejczyk. “Her blood had gotten so thin, it wouldn’t register. They were trying to get her blood to coagulate.”
After receiving treatment in the Emergency Department, Klinger stayed in the Medical Intensive Care Unit and was later transferred to a regular room. In all, she remained at UF Health Jacksonville for 10 days.
While Jedrzejczyk initially feared her mother would bleed out, she also worried about the venom’s potential to cause major organ failure. Fortunately, it never got to that point. Klinger was on antivenom for four days and experienced a turnaround that’s being regarded as a miracle.
Jedrzejczyk thinks compassion and attention to detail had a lot to do with her mother’s outcome.
“The doctors and nurses couldn’t have been nicer. They were so attentive to her,” Jedrzejczyk said. “It’s like they read her mind before she could even say anything.”
Klinger said she will never forget the experience and has told all of her friends and family about UF Health Jacksonville. She said she definitely knows where to go if she needs medical care in the future.
“They were great and so respectful,” Klinger said. “I have never received better care anywhere than there.”