JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video above is from a previous report.
Good news!
Elijah Bustamante, who was bitten by a venomous water moccasin in Green Cove Springs, continues to progress in his recovery.
His mother, Sanita Bustamante, told First Coast News that Elijah is up and walking without his walker. The seven-year-old has to relearn how to walk after his four-day stay in the hospital. He is working hard in physical therapy to regain strength.
Elijah was playing in his backyard when the snake jumped out and bit him under his left kneecap, his mother explained.
He was taken to Baptist Clay Medical Campus, but the hospital did not have a pediatric unit. Sanita said doctors wanted to airlift Elijah, but paramedics were able to quickly take him to Wolfson's Children's Hospital by ambulance.
He received a total of seven bags of anti-venom. Elijah was put on a feeding tube and was unable to eat or drink for four days.
The swelling ran up Elijah's entire leg, according to Sanita. "It stayed at the upper thigh to the lower ankle, which measured 55 centimeters," she said.
Sanita wants to warn other parents and children about the dangers of snakes as families head outdoors for the summer.
"Have precautions that you can take if you're going in your own yard. Don't just think, 'I am in my own yard, I'm safe. We don't have to worry about this happening to us.' It can happen to anybody," she told First Coast News.
Click here to see a list created by Florida Fish and Wildlife of venomous and non-venomous snakes found in the state.
If you would like to donate to help Elijah's family, click here.