Redlands Boy, 6, Bitten By Rattlesnake Honored For His Bravery
CAMP PENDLETON (CBSLA.com) — A six-year-old Redlands boy was honored Saturday for bravery by some of the paramedics and firefighters at Camp Pendleton who helped save his life after he was bitten by a toxic rattlesnake bite while camping with family on July 4th.
Kaden Rivera was bitten near Camp Pendleton while on a family outing last month. Doctors immediately realized the boy was bitten by a particularly nasty and toxic rattler, the Mojave Green. Said one paramedic, "It was the most serious bite I've ever seen."
Officials say a unique neurotoxin in the snake's venom affects the human nervous system and can cause paralysis.
He spent more than a week in the hospital. Kaden needed 42 vials of anti-venom just to stabilize him. At one point doctors thought he could lose his leg from infection. And his survival was also not assured.
Today, as Kaden was honored for his bravery, he showed where he was bitten on his leg.
Greg Mills, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, said there was "only a little discoloration."
Kaden got to ride in a Camp Pendleton firetruck for the second time in a month. This time under happier circumstances.
Last month, a firetruck raced him to the hospital in an effort to save his life. His mother Peggy Rivera recalls, "He was in very bad shape. He was foaming at the mouth. And vomiting."
Today, his family got to give their appreciation to the firefighters and paramedics who helped save the boy's life.
In addition to the ride in the firetruck (complete with sirens), firefighters cooked up a storm (hamburgers and hot dogs) and even made Kaden an honorary firefighter for the day.
