Real Life

Real life: “I survived a deadly brown snake bite”

I was dying, and couldn’t even tell anyone.
woman dog snake bite

Judy Foster, 51, shares her true life story:

The grass crackled under my feet as I trudged across the paddock.


A fence was broken on my farm and I was going to see how easily it could be fixed.

As I walked, I felt something whack the back 
of my right calf. Ouch!

Glancing down, I gasped as I realised a snake had latched its fangs onto my boot.

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But it wasn’t just any snake.

It was a deadly Eastern Brown.

I froze in horror as its yellow venom trickled down my boot and I could feel it had pierced the skin underneath.

Then, the snake let go and slithered off.

My heart pounded.

I had to get back to the house – fast! ?

I knew I’d be unconscious within minutes and dead soon after.

As I sped home on my quad bike, I felt dizziness and nausea setting in.

My vision had blurred by the time I reached the front door.

You have to call for help, ?I urged myself.

But before I could, I collapsed onto the couch.

I tried to push myself up, but my muscles were too weak.

This is it, 
I thought as everything went black.

When I came to a couple of days later, my eldest son, Matt, was leaning over me.

“I’m worried about you, Mum,” he said. “Are you okay?”

I tried to tell him what was wrong but an incoherent slur came out.

I lifted a hand to my forehead and felt it burning with a film of sweat.

“You just rest up,” Matt said, gently rubbing my arm.

I’d suffered with cancer and lupus over the years so the kids were used to seeing their mum ill and groggy.

I couldn’t move my mouth to tell Matt this was different.

I was dying, and couldn’t even tell anyone.

I drifted in and out of consciousness.

When, slowly, 
I started to feel a little bit better, I made my way to my car and drove to my doctor.

I was so lucky!

I have little memory of what happened over the next hours and days.

“It’s a miracle you’re alive!” the doctor told me.

I had internal haemorrhaging and needed medication to stop the bleeding.

It was three months before I recovered and I know how close I’d come to death.

I’ve since left the farm and hope my story warns people to be very wary of snakes.

The minute they slither into your life could very well be your last.

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