A rattlesnake bit my toddler at a birthday party. What happened next changed me.

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• I feared for my child's life after a freak rattlesnake bite at an unexpected venue.
• While being faced with my child's mortality, I reexamined my relationship with death.
• Coming out on the other side of this trauma reminded me of what matters most.

I was sick at home when my 2-year-old son was bitten by a rattlesnake at a kid's fairy-themed birthday party in LA.

My husband, Mac, was with our two kids when our son fell into the grass, crying and pointing to his hand.