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In a few moments, an ordinary family visit turned into a fierce battle between life and death. Chris Howarth did not expect that his trip would end with two swift bites from a venomous rattlesnake, or that his survival from death would open a new crisis no less harsh, as he found himself facing a medical bill exceeding $1.3 million.

Chris Howarth, a father of three from the US state of Idaho, miraculously survived after being bitten twice in succession by a rattlesnake during a family visit in California, requiring him to receive 54 doses of antivenom, in one of the most complicated cases doctors had faced.

Two bites turned his life upside down

The incident began in the garden of Howarth's parents' home in the city of Oroville, where he was preparing to leave the house and return to Idaho after a four-day visit. As he was walking in the garden, he thought he had hit a wild plant, before discovering that a rattlesnake had ambushed him and bit him twice in the leg within seconds.

Soon his health began to deteriorate rapidly, as he lost sensation in his tongue, his lymph nodes swelled significantly, and his lungs suffered serious complications that nearly cost him his life.

After days, his condition became more complicated as he developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a serious medical condition that causes abnormal blood clots throughout the body.

A race to save his life

In a desperate attempt to save him, doctors at Oroville Hospital gave Howarth 54 doses of antivenom, an exceptional amount that depleted the hospital's entire stock.

As his condition continued to deteriorate, he was transferred by air ambulance to Stanford Medical Center, where the medical team had to completely change the type of antivenom used to control his condition and stabilize his vital signs.

After 12 days in the intensive care unit, Howarth finally managed to leave the hospital and return to his home in Idaho with his wife Jenny and their three children.

Incomplete recovery

His wife said that Howarth has regained about 80% of his health, but he still suffers from persistent pain and swelling in his leg, which worsen with any physical exertion, in addition to chronic fatigue that limits his daily activity.

She added that the night he developed DIC was the most terrifying in the family's life, stressing that the experience changed their outlook on life and made them more appreciative of every moment they spend together.

He survived the poison... and faced a million-dollar bill

The family's ordeal did not stop at the health crisis; the cost of treatment at the two hospitals amounted to about $1.3 million before accounting for health insurance coverage.

The cost of a single dose of antivenom reached about $13,000, while the cost of a single night in the intensive care unit at Stanford Medical Center was $61,000.

Despite Howarth having health insurance, the family still does not know the amount they will have to pay after insurance coverage.

This crisis coincided with Howarth being out of work since late last May without pay, after exhausting all his sick and annual leave following a surgery he underwent in January, prompting the family to launch a fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe platform to cover treatment expenses and lost income.

The campaign has so far raised more than $10,200, out of a goal of $12,000, while the family continues to face the consequences of one of the most difficult experiences they have been through.