‘I saw Pat jump’: NBC’s Emilie Ikeda reveals a deadly snake bit her husband the night before wedding
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: The wedding of NBC News correspondent Emilie Ikeda nearly fell through, after her husband Pat was bitten by a deadly snake on the night of their rehearsal dinner. The Pennsylvania-born recalled the horrifying experience in an essay that was published by Today on Tuesday, October 18. She claimed that she and her then-fiancé, who had unfortunately collided with a copperhead, spent 12 hours at LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, Tennessee.
The event happened as they were leaving a rented house on a summit in the smokey mountains, according to Emilie. When Pat was bitten, they were on their way to their automobile, where they intended to spend the night in separate cabins.
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“Walking on a dimly lit path, I suddenly saw Pat jump and grab his ankle,” the 28-year-old 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 reporter then mentioned that the snake had managed to "bite him right over his leather shoes and under his pant legs,” and said they were “impressed with its precision.”
Even though their family had informed them that the snake was probably not venomous, they didn't want to take any chances. Pat was asked by Emilie to find the snake and snap a photo of it. The triangular head helped them easily recognize it as a copperhead. Following Pat's tragic experience with a copperhead, the pair stayed at LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville for 12 hours. They documented the first swelling on Pat's ankle with a pen and headed to the emergency room as it started to become numb. The night before their wedding, Emilie stated she couldn't believe that her partner was bitten by a poisonous snake as they were walking to their car.
(Emilie Ikeda/Instagram)
“Being on the edge of the Smoky Mountains National Park, we figured doctors would be very familiar with snake bites. Nope," she said. One nurse had told Emilie that she hadn't treated a snakebite in almost six years, while another asked, "Aren’t copperhead bites typically fatal?"
In the months leading up to their wedding, Emilie recalled feeling tension over the seating cards and flowers, but that stress vanished the night they spent laughing and chatting in the hospital. Fortunately, they were aware that was not the case and kept their cool because Pat's symptoms and edema were first less severe, therefore they were initially able to find humor in the situation. “Despite an ankle and calf the size of a grapefruit, Pat’s prognosis was good,” she explained. ‘He needed rest, and thankfully not anti-venom, which was a relief after Google results for “cost of treating a snake bite” suggested a six-figure hospital bill."
At the conclusion of her essay, Emilie praised the snake, noting that it had served to serve as a reminder that their relationship was the most essential thing on their wedding day. When the doctor informed them that Pat would need to be monitored in the hospital for 12 hours, it was getting near to midnight and there was little chance Pat would make it to their ceremony. Even though it wasn't a perfect situation, Pat's discharge the next morning and ability to "hobble down the hall" on his swollen foot helped them become closer. “So to the snake I say thank you,” she concluded her essay. "Thank you for helping to remind us of the most important thing on one of the most important days: each other."