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After finishing his lunch one Sunday afternoon, Robin decided to take a walk out
to the thick jungle area about thirty kilometers away from his isolated home
situated in the outskirts of the city and away from the main road. Enjoying the
cool breeze, Robin followed the routes that he knew like the back of his hand.
As he walked along with his dog following closely and faithfully behind him,
Robin looked out for the various species of birds and insects. Spotting one
particularly unique-looking bird, Robin ran after it. Jumping over a log, he
accidentally stepped into a ditch and felt something
roll beneath his feet. Almost instantly, Robin felt an intense pain
in his right foot. Looking down, he saw the huge head of a rattlesnake, its jaws
tightly clamped over his entire foot. Through his blinding pain, however, Robin
was aware that his dog, Jimmy, was trying desperately to get the snake off his
foot. The little dog's efforts seemed to prove futile until in utter
desperation, Jimmy tore at the serpent's head. Then and only then did the snake
release its grip and slither off into the bushes.
Grateful to his faithful dog, Robin sank to the ground. He
dimly remembered his father saying that
panic would cause the venom to rush to the head at a much faster speed. Hanging
on to his rationality, the young boy tried to survey his options. His foot was
beginning to swell and had already gone numb. In his condition, Robin knew that
he would not be able to make the thirty-kilometer walk back home.
Robin's father was watching television when his youngest son came running in
with the words, "Robin got bitten by a snake." Without a word, Bob Hayes jumped
up and followed his son into the kitchen. Robin was lying unconscious on the
floor while his mother sat sobbing beside him. Being bitten by rattlesnakes was
not an unusual occurrence. Their home was in
close proximity to the jungle area. However, thus far, Bob had only encountered
such incidents with his farm animals. Seeing his son lying on the floor with a
huge bluish gash in his foot, Bob was at a loss as to what to do. With their
home so far away from the city and the hospital, Bob knew that the only thing
that might possibly save his son was to drive him to the hospital himself since
calling an ambulance would take too long. Aware that his son's life depended on
how quickly he could reach the hospital, Bob drove as fast as he could. At the
hospital, both doctors and nurses worked untiringly on Robin who was in a
serious condition. The venom had prevented his blood from clotting, thus causing
internal bleeding. Robin had stopped breathing on his own for almost a minute.
The doctors feared the worst -- he could bleed to death.
At the end of a seven-hour operation, doctors were not very hopeful about
Robin's survival. Nevertheless, Bob and his wife refused to give up and sat by
Robin's bedside praying for his recovery.
On the fifth day, their prayers were answered. Robin regained consciousness
and after a few hours, he was able to talk to his parents. It was apparent to
the doctors that there was no damage to the brain and doctors pronounced him
fully recovered. Recounting his experience a few days later, he spoke of a white
robed figure which lifted him in his arms and carried him thirty kilometers to
his home just when he thought he would not be able to walk home. Said Robin, "I
know it was God or an angel sent by God." |
