‘She’s a Tough Little Girl’

NEED TO KNOW

• Sadie Crow, 5, is set to start kindergarten in Texas this month after surviving a rattlesnake bite in June 2024

• Since then, she’s regained use of her hand, although she may require an additional surgery

• “She’s a tough little girl, and I think she’s going to do great,” says Dr. Scott Oishi from Scottish Rite for Children

A five-year-old in Texas is gearing up to start kindergarten, after a tragic incident with a rattlesnake last summer that left her with a hand injury.

Sadie Crow’s father Dillon told NBC affiliate KXAS the incident occurred in June 2024 at the family’s ranch property.

“They were throwing rocks in the pond,” Crow told the station. “She was standing right next to me and she reached down to pick up a rock, and apparently there was a rattlesnake under a leaf, and when she reached down to pick it up, the rattlesnake bit her on top of her hand.”

He added, “About halfway back to our vehicle, she started to pass out a little bit, started to lose consciousness.” Dillon told the outlet that they drove Sadie to a local hospital and she was then transported to a Lubbock facility.

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Since the incident, Sadie has been undergoing treatment at Scottish Rite for Children. She’s set to begin kindergarten on Monday, Aug. 11.

Dr. Scott Oishi, director of the Center for Excellence in Hand at Scottish Rite for Children, has helped oversee her recovery. He said “before she came to see us, she underwent emergency surgery to get what’s called fasciotomy, where they open up the area over the muscle, because otherwise the muscle will die and it’ll lead to permanent loss.”

“Obviously she was really scared,” Dr. Oishi says of Sadie’s arrival, adding she had massive swelling in her hand and forearm.

Dr. Oishi went on to say that Sadie’s “really been a champ through this.”

A few months ago, Sadie underwent another surgery to loosen some of the joints and tendons in her hand.

“We were able to open it up to give her more function, but she’s had to do therapy three or four times a week right after that surgery,” Dr. Oishi explained. “So it’s a lot of commitment from her and her parents.”

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Although there’s a chance she may require an additional surgery, Sadie has regained “great” use of her hand, which is almost back to normal, her doctor said.

The five-year-old’s next challenge will be taking on the kindergarten classroom next week.

“Just seeing her turn around from the time I first saw her, when she came into office as a scared little girl, to one now that’s very confident, and sort of back to using her hand is just incredible, the turnaround she’s made herself,” Dr. Oishi explained. “She’s a tough little girl, and I think she’s going to do great.”

Read the original article on People