Thanks to social media, now people can share information at an unprecedented pace.
This also means that warnings over potential dangers can make their way around within a very short amount of time, which makes us all – in theory at least – a little safer.
One such warning was issued a few years ago by a mom whose son developed a strange, red grid-like mark on his skin after collecting some tree branches one day. A short time later he was being rushed to the ER. Now, Andrea Pergola wants everyone to know something that could potentially save lives…
When Andrea’s son Logan, then 15, was collecting tree branches as part of his volunteer work, he felt a momentary sharp pain when something stung him.
Within minutes, a red grid-like mark had appeared on his arm, and in a short time, it had become a full-blown rash. The rash spread up his arm to his chest, and the area soon burned with an unbearable pain.
Logan also experienced dizziness and grew pale. His mom washed the area and rubbed garlic on it in an attempt to pull the venom out (this is often said to work with bug stings). Try as she might though, nothing seemed to have an effect.
Logan’s grandfather located the bug that had stung Logan. He donned thick gloves, placed it in a bag, and examined it closer.
It was a caterpillar, both “cute” and fuzzy. However, it also turned out to be one of the most poisonous caterpillars in all of North America. After conducting some research online, Andrea realized she had to get Logan to the ER, and fast.
“Please research this caterpillar, be aware of it and make your kids aware of it,” Andrea wrote on Facebook.
“It is not native to Florida, but to Texas, and just happens to live here now. Please, if you are stung or your kid is stung, get to the ER and let them treat you. I can assure you — we didn’t realize he had been stung so many times and normal over-the-counter Benadryl would not have treated this at home.”
