A rattlesnake bit me, and it saved my life

It was Friday, April 13th, 2001. In a suburb of San Diego, we lived on a mountainside overlooking the beautiful San Pasqual Valley.

I was 19 years old and had very little direction in my life.

That morning my good friend called me and asked if I wanted to play catch down at the school football field a few miles from my house. He said that he would pick me up below my house at the bottom of the hill, which would require me to walk about 100 yards down the hillside through some bushes to get to the road below. I readily agreed and hung up the phone. At that very second, I felt a sinking feeling in my gut stronger than I’ve ever experienced before.

The impression came to my mind clear as day. “Don’t go down that hill!”

I thought to myself, what in the world could happen to me if I do? So, I hurried outside to look down the hill to see if there was any logical or visible reason that I shouldn’t go down that hill. I saw nothing of concern but was moved enough by my impression seconds earlier that I called my friend back and asked him if he wouldn’t mind driving 10 miles around the valley to pick me up at my house. To my disappointment, he told me that he was already driving up the road at the bottom of the hill. Reluctantly, I decided to ignore the prompting and just go down the hill anyway.

As I started down the hill, I received an even stronger impression than before, as if my heart was sinking into my bowels, making my legs weak. Determined to ignore the warning in my heart, I began running down the overgrown trail. Having been down that path countless times before, I felt confident that I could navigate through the bushes.

As I took that first step into the bushes, I stumbled on what felt like a branch of a nearby tree. I nearly fell but caught myself as I felt a prick on my ankle. Initially, I thought I’d been poked by a twig. Then suddenly, that small prick grew into an intense burn as if there was a blow torch pressing up against my ankle.

Then I heard the terrifying sound of a rattle from a western diamondback rattlesnake! I looked around, and it was coiled and ready to strike again if I dared to get close.

Seeing my friend in his truck less than 50 yards away, I continued down the hill at record speed. He drove me to the hospital, breaking traffic laws left and right. I took off my shoe and used the laces to tourniquet my leg, which I later learned was a bad idea.

By the time we reached the hospital, the venom had spread past my knee. I headed quickly into the ER and screamed upon entering the lobby, “I’ve been bitten by a rattlesnake!“ The lady behind the glass was looking down at some paperwork and slowly looked up and apathetically said, “Have a seat and fill out this paperwork. We will be right with you.” I slammed my fist on the counter and demanded a doctor immediately. A nurse quickly appeared from the back room, sat me down, and cut off the shoelaces restricting the circulation to my leg and foot.

I remember the pain being so intense that I began to hyperventilate and shake uncontrollably. At this point, several other nurses and doctors ran an IV and administered morphine. I could feel the drug’s calming effect on the rest of my body, but my leg was still in excruciating pain. If you can imagine your muscles, veins, and arteries being slowly eaten by microscopic bugs from hell, then you might understand what it would feel like to have rattlesnake venom enter your body.

The doctors administered the anti-venom, which stopped the poison from spreading any further. I stayed overnight in the hospital with my leg elevated above my heart. My right leg was twice the size of my left for a few days, and then it shrank to skin and bone. My skin was saggy and wrinkled, colored pale purple and green. I was bedridden for about a month or two and then on crutches for a few weeks. It took me a full year before I could run again. I made a full recovery with no lasting effects except for the impression etched into my soul that God was trying to warn me of danger.

While I was on my back in bed, I began to deeply reevaluate my life. I thought about the examples of the men in my life. My friend’s dad was an alcoholic, still acting as if he were a teenager. Then I thought of my dad and my youth leaders at church. They all seemed genuinely happy, functional, strong, self-disciplined, and had beautiful families. They exemplified the values I had been lacking and truly desired.

I realized that if I stayed on the present course, I would continue to struggle and could end up like my friend’s dad, a 50-year-old teenager.

I wrote these reflections with some new goals on a pad of paper: Marry a beautiful, virtuous daughter of God; Create a family of my own; Become successful in a career of my choice; Overcome my addictions; Be happy.

I then wrote what I would need to do to accomplish these things. I began to lead a life of service and better myself. I struggled for about a year to change my life by myself. One evening, I had finally had enough. I knew that I could not do it alone. “As to my strength I am weak, for in his strength I can do all things” (Alma 26:12).

I decided that I had to know if the things my parents taught me about God were indeed true. I have never doubted the existence of God, but I had never wholeheartedly pursued a personal relationship with Him. I would like to share the experience that I had in detail, but it is too sacred, and I reserve it for personal interactions. Suffice it to say that I have come to know Him, and I have attended church meetings regularly ever since.

I served the beautiful people in the countries of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia as a full-time missionary for two years. Returning home, I met and married the woman of my dreams. I have a beautiful family. I am a successful chiropractor. However, I’m still addicted to chocolate. I am happy.

Looking back on this adventure, I am so happy that I chose to seek out the truth. I am grateful that the Lord loves me enough to place a rattlesnake in my path to strike me down and cripple me for a period of time. This event helped me adjust my priorities at a critical time in my life.

I know that Jesus is the Christ, our Lord, and our Savior. Because of His infinite atoning sacrifice, I know that we can all be saved from our sinful, fallen state and become perfected in Him. I love Him. I know Him. He is my Friend, my Mentor, my Master. May the love of God abide in us all as we seek our own personal relationship with Him.

Garrett Christensen is a chiropractor and lifetime student. He enjoys studying the gospel, being active, spending time with friends and family, and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.