Just three months after Snake Salvation‘s Jamie Coots died when he was bitten by a snake and refused medical treatment, son Cody Coots nearly followed the same path. Fortunately, unlike his father, Cody’s rattlesnake wound didn’t prove fatal.
Now recovering at home, Cody told The Lexington Herald-Leader he was handling a six-foot long rattler on Memorial Day when it struck his right hand. Even though he’s been bitten by cottonmouth snakes five times before, he started panicking about the rattlesnake bite. Then he recalled his late father’s advice to remain calm.
The area around the bite swelled and Cody began vomiting. However, Cody adamantly eschewed professional medical assistance.
“I told the Lord that I wouldn’t go to the hospital,” Cody said, adding he would only go to the hospital if wife Brittany approved it when he was unconscious. Instead, they called in local parishioners to pray for his health.
Cody’s symptoms largely subsided by Tuesday. He rationalized the bite was a “freak accident” similar to something that could happen while hunting or fishing. He plans to use snakes with his sermon today.
“If the Lord moves, we’ll handle’m,” he said. “It’s the word of the Lord.”
Brittany told TMZ she believes her husband’s quick recovery is a miracle: “Jesus saved Cody. The Lord spared his life.”
