Community stepping up to help family of Charlotte County teen bitten by rattlesnake

JJ Gerhart (Credit: Gerhart family)

A teen is on the road to recovery after being bitten by a rattlesnake in Charlotte County. 14-year-old JJ Gerhart started physical therapy this week, and now many businesses in the area are stepping up to help with the costs of medical bills.

JJ said he’s feeling a lot better now. He spent two weeks in the ICU at Golisano Children’s Hospital, underwent five surgeries and received 58 vials of anti-venom. He said the love, prayers, and support from the community helped him get through this scary experience.

The day after Easter, JJ and his friend walked to a nearby pond to go fishing, and his life changed without warning.

“As soon as I got in the ditch, like three or four steps in, I felt something hit my leg. So, I looked down and I saw the rattlesnake’s head. And it was like, I want to say like the size of a softball. It was pretty big,” said JJ.

His instincts told him to get to the nearest road and call for help. A couple out riding their golf cart spotted him and rushed to help.

“After like 5 minutes of being on their golf cart, I started passing out and like blacking out,” JJ said.

His treatment required blood transfusions, surgeries, and dozens of vials of anti-venom.

“Like, my dad said, he was like, ‘you would wake up and you would be there looking around like you were normal. But your eyes would be in the back of your head. Like, it was just white,'” said JJ.

JJ now proudly rocks a t-shirt his grandmother made for him. It reads ‘tougher than a rattlesnake’. On the back, it says ‘God – 1, rattlesnake – zero’.

“I had lots of people praying for me and I thank them so much. I really do,” JJ said.

Although his road to recovery isn’t over, he’s able to joke about the experience saying his love for the outdoors hasn’t changed.

“I didn’t want to lose my leg. But at the same time, I feel like if anyone in the family lost a leg, it would be me because I’m more outdoors than most of the family,” said JJ.

JJ’s mother works at Burnt Store Animal Hospital. Her co-workers said they think of her and JJ as family.

The Burnt Store Animal Hospital, in collaboration with No. 3 Craft Beer Bar & Palace Pub and Wine Bar, have set up a fundraising event to help raise money for JJ’s medical bills.

They began planning the fundraiser here once they heard about what happened.

The event will begin at noon on Saturday and run until 6 p.m. at No. 3 Craft Beer Bar & Palace Pub and Wine Bar on Cape Coral Pkwy E. The fundraiser will a silent auction, and raffle, and a donation will be made to the family for every drink purchased.

The Gerhart family said in a statement about the fundraiser:

Come out and celebrate J.j recovering from a rattlesnake bite. We would like to personally be able to thank everyone in the community who have come together and prayed so hard for J.j. and us, been so caring and loving and donated to help get us through this terrible time. We are so excited for this event and have high hopes J.j will be able to attend. This isn’t just a fundraiser, this is a time where the entire community can get together and celebrate such a courageous young man. We truly would not have made it through this so easily without all of you keeping faith and being so supportive. J.J. IS TOUGHER THAN A RATTLESNAKE.