Shifnal woman left in intensive care after being bitten by snake during birthday holiday
A Shifnal woman has said her 40th birthday holiday to Cyprus resulted in her spending four days in intensive care after she was bitten by a venomous snake.
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Sam West was celebrating her birthday on the Mediterranean island with her wife, Kate, earlier this month when she was bitten by a “blunt nosed viper”.
She told the BBC that she was about to take part in a meditation session on April 3, when the five-foot snake struck at the Atlantica Aphrodite Hills hotel.
She said: "It quickly, before I had time to react, bit me just above my left ankle. I started to shake the snake off as I shouted that I had just been bitten by a snake.
"My leg was burning and throbbing, the pain was instantaneous."
She said she was rushed to hospital and after spending four days in ICU in Cyprus she was eventually discharged to her hotel with medication.
She said the hotel had some of the area around the meditation platform cut back soon after the incident and had called pest control teams out twice.
"The activities that take place on the platform have now been moved to the dance studio," she said.
"However, hotel guests are continuing to use the platform and explore the area around."
Ms West said she had received about 350 messages of support, adding TUI representatives in the resort had also been very supportive and that she expects to fly back on Tuesday.
A TUI UK & Ireland spokesperson said it was "aware of an incident" at the hotel earlier this month adding the "safety of our customers is our highest priority".
