Brigland ‘Brigs’ Pfeffer had just turned two when his parents were confronted with the very real possibility that he would die.
The little boy was playing in his backyard in San Diego, California, when he ran to his mother and screamed that he had been bitten by a snake.
His mother, Lindsay Pfeffer, said she could only see the “tiniest drop” of blood on his right hand between his index and thumb fingers.
But the reality was that a lethal dose of poison was quickly circulating through his tiny body – and the antidote to save his life would cost almost $300,000.
The family wanted to go to the nearest emergency room, but a 911 dispatcher told them they had to wait for an ambulance because emergency rooms don’t stock antivenom.
Mrs Pfeffer, told local CBS8: ‘He was lying flat on the sidewalk in front of the house; he was just sweating and not moving.”
The ambulance rushed the toddler to Palomar Medical Center Escondido, 25 minutes away, the nearest facility with antivenom, and marked where the poison traveled through his arm.
But when they arrived at the hospital, doctors could not start an IV to administer the antivenom because snake venom constricts the veins and makes access difficult. That’s why the doctors had to drill into Brigs’ leg to administer the antidote.
BRAVE BRIGS: Brigland Pfeffer. Doctors hooked Brigs up to monitors and placed shock pads on his chest in case his heart stopped beating
Your browser does not support iframes.
Mrs Pfeffer said: ‘I thought he was going to die; we all thought he was going to die and even the doctors thought he was going to die.
“When they started applying the electrodes to shock him and I saw his blood pressure drop… we knew it wasn’t good.”
“His whole arm was black and I thought, ‘I don’t want to be screaming in his last memory.'”
Once stabilized, Brigs was transferred to Rady Children’s Hospital, where he remained in intensive care for several days, but doctors were still unsure if he would survive.
His mother added: “No one understands how he lives.”
Antivenom is most effective when administered within 24 hours, but experts emphasize that immediate care is critical.
It often takes more than a dozen vials of antivenom to treat a snakebite, which typically costs thousands of dollars per vial.
The average number per patient is 18 vials, Dr. Michelle Ruha, Arizona emergency room physician and former president of the American College of Medical Toxicology, told The Washington Post.
Brigs needed more than 30 bottles to treat his rattlesnake bite in the South Pacific, and after several days of treatment, the toddler was sent home to continue his recovery.
FAMILY SHOCK: Brigs spent several days in intensive care before he was healthy enough to return home to his family (pictured here)
Although the poison is no longer a threat and the swelling in his hand and arm has subsided, Brigs’ mother says he has become left-handed because nerve damage and scar tissue have left him unable to use his formerly dominant right hand.
Rattlesnake bites are relatively rare: About 8,000 people are bitten each year by any kind of venomous snake, but CBS8 reported Rattlesnake sightings are increasing in San Diego County, according to county data.
The area received 99 calls about snake sightings between May 2019 and May 2024.
The bites lead to severe pain and swelling where the bites occurred and can cause excessive bleeding, as well as nausea and swelling in the throat, making it difficult to breathe.
The snake’s venom caused swelling and bruising in Brigs’ arm, from his right fingers to his armpit
The two-year-old was bitten by a South Pacific rattlesnake (pictured here)
The venom in snakes’ fangs damages tissues and affects circulation by destroying skin and blood cells, leading to internal bleeding.
Mortality rates vary, but death is quite rare, ranging from three percent without antivenom and 0.3 percent with treatment.
However, serious permanent complications can occur as a result of a bite, including tissue loss, deformity, or loss of certain bodily functions, depending on where the bite occurs.
Even though Brigs was out of the woods, the Pfeffers’ ordeal was not over. Shortly after returning home, his family received a bill for $297,461, while the antidote amounted to $213,278.
The Post reported that Brigs received Anavip antivenom at two different hospitals that charged two different prices.
Palomar, where responders treated the boy, charged $9,574 per vial, totaling $95,746 for the starting dose of 10 vials of Anavip.
Brigs’ mother says he became left-handed because nerve damage and scar tissue left him unable to use his right hand
Then Rady’s, the largest children’s hospital on the West Coast, charged $5,876 for each vial of the 20 Brigs received there, totaling $117,532.
Most insurance policies do not cover antivenom or reimburse at a price much lower than what hospitals charge patients.
Brigs’ insurance company was eventually able to reduce the price of the antidote by tens of thousands of dollars, and the family ultimately paid $7,200.
However, insurance did not cover one of Brigs’ two ambulance transports, for which they were charged an additional $11,300.