Jeffrey’s Bay toddler survives puff adder attack

With the odds stacked against them, a heartbroken Jeffrey’s Bay couple told their toddler son was likely to die after he was bitten twice by a puff adder did the only thing left to do; they prayed.

For two days it was touch and go as Riaan Deetlefs, 2, fought for his life, first at Livingstone Hospital and then Dora Nginza, as the venom attacked his tiny body, causing it to shut down.

His right arm was so swollen doctors considered amputation.

But having fought back, little Riaan miraculously escaped with his life and all his limbs intact.

His father, Harry Deetlefs, 42, said on Thursday that while it was still a long road ahead, his only son was finally out of the woods.

The family had been braaiing on their farm, about 1.9km outside Jeffreys Bay at about 7pm last Saturday when Deetlefs said his dogs started barking uncontrollably where Riaan was playing on the lawn.

He went to investigate but when he did not see anything untoward he went into the house to use the bathroom.

“It was not two seconds later and my wife and daughters burst through the door. They were screaming and crying.

“My son’s hand had swollen to the size of a grown man’s hand and it was hard like a stone.”

They rushed him to the Humansdorp Provincial Hospital. Riaan started losing consciousness on the way.

When they arrived at the emergency section, however, medical staff were busy with another critically ill patient.

While in the waiting room, Riaan started to vomit.

Deetlefs said while he did not know what was wrong with his son, it had crossed his mind that a poisonous insect, or even a snake, had bitten him. But the doctors were perplexed.

He said they had taken photographs, which were sent to specialists at Livingstone. An ambulance was immediately dispatched for the boy to be transferred.

Robyn drove with her son in the ambulance and Deetlefs followed in his bakkie behind them.

There was a roadblock just outside Port Elizabeth and while the ambulance personnel tried to explain to the army and police members why Deetlefs needed to be allowed through, they allegedly refused.

“I had to turn around and go back home,” the emotional father said.

“Robyn phoned me from the hospital to say the doctors did not think he was going to make it. She was sobbing and there was nothing I could do. I felt helpless.

“I started praying. I had always wanted a son and I was so scared I was going to lose him. I asked prayer groups across the country to pray with me.”

At midnight, the hospital phoned wanting to know what type of snake had bitten him. They had found bite marks on his hand and arm.

At that point Riaan had already been in theatre for a few hours where they cut his hand, right up to his elbow, to relieve the pressure.

“I had no idea which type of snake it could be.”

As soon as the sun came up, Deetlefs ventured out to investigate and that was when he found the puff adder on the grass. The dogs had killed it.

He got in touch with snake expert Mark Marshall and the hospital was informed about what antivenom to use.

Three vials of polyvalent antivenom were administered and Riaan had a blood transfusion.

“Mark was phenomenal. He thinks my son tried to pick up the snake and that was when it bit him on the arm. He probably got a fright and tried to throw it down and the snake bit him again on his hand.

“He said the snake was extremely poisonous and my son was lucky to be alive.”

Riaan has since been transferred to Dora Nginza’s paediatric unit for further treatment but Deetlefs said by Wednesday he was sitting up and had even managed to eat a full plate of food.

The father had also been given a permit to allow him to travel to the hospital for visits.

Marshall appealed to parents to educate their children on the dangers of snakes.

“Teach them the difference between a toy snake and a real snake and that they must never pick up a real snake,” he said.

Deetlefs said while his son only now mentioned seeing a snake, he could not recall being bitten.