Reader\'s Digest AU NZ 03.2020

Thetwobecamefriends,thenmore.
Theyweremarriedacoupleof
yearslaterandwentontohavea son
anda daughter.Jeremywashandy,a
builderanda tinkererwhoworked
installingheatingandaircondition-
ing.Healwaysseemedtobehelping
outoneneighbouroranother.
In2011,attheageof34,hewasdiag-
nosedwithGuillain-Barrésyndrome,
a rareandmysteriousconditionthat
causestheimmunesystemtoattack
healthynervecells.Thediseaseleft
Jeremyweakandexhausted,unable
toworkmorethana fewhoursa day,
butthecouplegotthroughittogether.

WhentheyboughtthehouseinCor-
pusChristi,itfeltliketheidealsitu-
ation.Whilesheworked,hewould
slowlycreatetheirdreamhome.
Now,asJenniferspeddownthe
highway,shecouldfeelthatfan-
tasyslippingaway.Onthephone,
theemergencydispatcherwasdi-
rectingherdownthehighwaytoa
spotwhereanambulancewould
meetthemtobringherhusbandto
thenearesthospital.Mereminutes
afterbeingbitten,however,Jeremy
wasalreadyfeelingtheeffectsofthe
venomcoursingthroughhisbody.
Whenheblinked, he saw nothing

butblackness.“Ican’tsee,”hesaid,

panicinhisvoice,beforepassingout.

Jennifershookherhusbandwithone

handwhilekeepingtheotheronthe

wheel.Jeremywokeup,onlytopass

outagain.Thenhebeganhavinga

seizure.Theemergencyoperatortold

Jennifertopulloverandwaitinfront

ofa churchfortheparamedics.

Finally,afterthelongest 15 min-

utesofherlife– duringwhichJer-

emyalternatedbetweenbabbling

incoherentlyandlosingconscious-

ness– theparamedicsarrived.They

transferredJeremytotheambulance

andspeddownthehighway,with

Jenniferspeedingbehind.Afterjust

tenminutes,however,theambulance

pulledoverintothecarparkofan

abandonedbuilding.WhenJennifer

pulledupnexttothem,theytoldher

thatherhusbandwasinbadshape.

Hisbloodpressurehadplummeted,

andtheywereworriedhewasn’tgo-

ingtomakeit tothehospital.

“WehavetogettheHALOairam-

bulance,”oneoftheparamedics

said.Insteadofdrivingtothehos-

pitalhalfanhouraway,theywere

sendingfora helicopterthatwould

gethimintoadifferentemergen-

cy room in ten minutes. Moments

A DECAPITATED SNAKE HAS NOTHING

TO LOSE. AND SO THE RATTLER EMPTIED

ITS VENOM GLANDS INTO JEREMY

82 March 2020

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