Season 1: Episode 11
Hope and Will: A Parenting Podcast from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Snakes in a Yard: How a Basketball Game Ended with a Copperhead Bite
We know: You probably don’t want to read the word s-n-a-k-e-s, let alone listen to a podcast about them. But if you live in Georgia and your family spends time outside, this is worth a listen. In 2022, we saw 24 snake bite cases at Children’s—a majority of which struck a foot, hand or leg after a child unknowingly stepped near or on it.
Andrea Childers’ son and daughter were playing basketball in their driveway when a loose ball riled up a hidden copperhead. Her then-6-year-old son, Zander, was bitten on his forearm. Andrea joins us to discuss the changes they’ve since made to their yard to help protect their kids. We also hear from Dr. Maneesha Agarwal, an emergency medicine physician who’s cared for many patients with snake bites, who discusses tips for helping to reduce the chances of a snake bite.
Andrea Childers, Zander’s Mom
In the six years they’d called their Gwinnett neighborhood home, the Childers family had never seen a snake—until a basketball riled up a hidden copperhead in their yard. Andrea, an elementary school teacher and mom of two, shares her son’s snake-bite story in hopes of protecting other kids.
Dr. Maneesha Agarwal, Pediatric Emergency Physician
At work, Maneesha Agarwal, MD, cares for sick and injured patients who visit our emergency departments. At home, she cares for her 9-year-old and 2-year-old daughters. Dr. Agarwal recorded this episode while eight months pregnant with her third child, a soon-to-be-born son.
Lynn Smith
Lynn Smith is a veteran journalist, podcast host and mom of two boys. Her experience as the parent of a patient at Children’s inspired her to advocate for spreading awareness of childhood illnesses and injuries.
