NBC News correspondent Emilie Ikeda has opened up about how her wedding was almost derailed after her husband was bitten by a venomous snake on the night of their rehearsal dinner.
The 28-year-old detailed the scary incident in an essay published by Today on Tuesday, saying she and her then-fiancé, Pat, spent 12 hours at the LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, Tennessee, after his unfortunate run-in with a copperhead.
Emilie explained the incident occurred when they were leaving a rental home on a peak in the Smoky Mountains. They had planned on spending the night in separate cabins and were headed to their car when he was bitten.
NBC News correspondent Emilie Ikeda opened up about how her husband, Pat, was bit by a venomous snake the night before their wedding in Tennessee
The journalist explained in her essay for Today that she and Pat were leaving a rental home in the Smoky Mountains when a snake bit him on the ankle
'Walking on a dimly lit path, suddenly I saw Pat jump and grab his ankle,' she recalled. 'He assumed it was a very angry hornet. Following a few steps behind him, I knew it was worse. A snake slithered away.'
The journalist said the snake had managed to 'bite him just above his leather shoe and below his pant leg,' saying they were 'impressed by its precision.'
Their family assured them that it likely wasn't a venomous snake, but they didn't want to take any risks. Emilie had Pat track down the serpent and take a photo of it.
They quickly identified it as a copperhead thanks to its triangle-shaped head.
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They realized the serpent was a copperhead after tracking it down and taking a photo. Copperhead snakes are venomous, but their bites are rarely fatal
After Pat's ankle started to get numb, they marked the initial swelling with a pen and headed to the emergency room together
The couple spent 12 hours at the LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville after Pat's unfortunate run-in with a copperhead
Emilie said she couldn't believe that her outdoorsy partner ended up getting bitten by a venomous snake while walking to their car the night before their wedding.
After Pat's ankle started to get numb, they marked the initial swelling with a pen and headed to the emergency room together.
'Being on the edge of Smoky Mountains National Park, we figured medical professionals were very familiar with snake bites. Nope,' she said.
Emilie recalled how one nurse said she hadn't treated a snake bite in roughly six years while another asked, 'Aren’t copperhead bites typically fatal?'
Emilie couldn't believe that her outdoorsy partner ended up getting bitten by a venomous snake while walking to their car
Emilie said the stress she felt about seating charts and flowers in the months leading up to their wedding dissipated, and they spent the night in the hospital laughing and talking
Luckily, they already knew that was not the case and didn't panic.
Copperhead snakes have relatively mild venom, and their bites are rarely fatal for humans, according to Live Science.
Emilie said they were initially able to find the humor in the situation because Pat's symptoms and swelling were minor.
'Despite an ankle and calf the size of a grapefruit, Pat’s prognosis was good,' she explained. 'He needed rest, and fortunately, not anti-venom, which was a relief after Google results for "the cost of treating a snake bite" suggested a six-figure hospital bill.'
Pat was discharged the next morning and was able to 'hobble down the aisle' at their wedding
Emilie thanked the snake at the end of her essay, saying it helped remind them that the most important thing on their wedding day was each other
It was nearing midnight when the doctor told them that Pat had to be monitored in the hospital for 12 hours, which would barely give him any time to make it to their ceremony.
Emilie said the hospital room didn't have any TV or magazines, and she had to pull two chairs together to make a makeshift bed for herself, but they still managed to make the best out of a bad situation.
The stress she felt about seating charts and flowers in the months leading up to their wedding dissipated, and they spent the night laughing and talking.
Pat was discharged the next morning and was able to 'hobble down the aisle' on his swollen foot, and while it wasn't an ideal situation, it brought them closer together.
'So to the snake, I say, thank you,' she concluded her essay. 'Thank you for helping remind us of the most important thing on one of the most important days: each other.'
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