Back From Death’s Door : Man Describes Terror of Rattlesnake Bite on the Neck

Rattlesnake venom was racing through Donald Mathews’ veins, causing his neck, face and chest to swell like a balloon. His heart was pounding so fast it had become a nonstop roar--he could no longer feel the individual beats.

As doctors at Antelope Valley Hospital hustled to save his life, the 64-year-old Leona Valley man felt his throat closing up.

“I was gasping for air,” he said. “I realized that if I didn’t let them get these tubes down my throat, I was going to die. So I stopped breathing and tried to relax.”

Within moments, he said, life-giving oxygen poured into his lungs.

Two weeks later, recuperating at his house in a scenic rural area just west of Palmdale, Mathews talked about his brush with death. His run-in with a rattler was especially dangerous, experts say, because the reptile bit Mathews in the neck as he was poking his head into his attic. More than 95% of time, snakes sink their fangs into arms, legs, feet or hands and the venom spreads more slowly.

Today, Mathews’ chest and throat are still black and blue from internal bleeding, and his stamina is limited. But the retired trade magazine and newspaper editor expects to make a full recovery.

Mathews’ ordeal began about 1:30 p.m., July 29, when he reached into his attic to check his mouse and rat traps. He heard a rustling sound but did not feel the snake bite him. “I withdrew my hand and saw the blood in it,” Mathews recalled. “That was when I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. I lunged off the ladder. I landed on my elbow.”

Mathews, who was home alone, dialed 911 and waited calmly for help. That helped keep the venom from spreading even more quickly, firefighters said. Mathews attributes his survival to his good physical condition, the quick arrival of paramedics and a rescue helicopter, and to the competence of the hospital staff.

He was released from the hospital after six days. The swelling has gone down, and Mathews’ strength has begun to return. On Monday, he finally felt up to having breakfast at a restaurant down the road.

“It isn’t a matter of being brave,” he said. “It’s a matter of appreciating life and knowing that we’re all going to die sooner or later. I don’t have any fear of dying--especially now.”