Woman visits 3 medical facilities before receiving antivenom for copperhead bite

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) – A woman had to visit three medical facilities before receiving treatment after a copperhead snake bit her last week.Ree Lawson reached behind her to grab a jasmine vine while she was drinking coffee on her back porch when a copperhead struck.“It was a sharp shearing sensation, kind of like I’ve been shot,” Lawson said.Lawson first went to an urgent care center for treatment and then to the emergency room, but neither facility had the antivenom she needed.She went to a third hospital before receiving treatment for the snakebite.“It was a few hours before I got the antivenom, which was absolutely terrifying and horrifying,” Lawson said. “You spend the whole time thinking... I’m going to lose this hand, or I’m going to lose this finger, and it’s terrifying.”Lawson, a bass player for the Goofy Footers, a band based in Myrtle Beach, said the fear of losing her finger was overwhelming.“I was just losing my mind,” she said.Doctors say snake season remains