Wasps are a nuance to be sure. They're painful little creatures, and unlike bees, it's hard to argue they do much good for the environment. Still unless you're allergic or encounter a large quantity, they're relatively harmless. So that makes it all the more shocking that a wasp caused a Texas teen to sever his spinal cord.
The Texas teen tried to escape the wasp, jumping into a pool, and breaking his spine in the process. The incident occurred on June 20 at a community pool. A 13-year-old, SJ Williams, ran away from a wasp when he decided to dive head first into the shallow end of the pool. He ended up hitting his head and neck, severing his spinal cord and fracturing other bones in the process.
His family set up a GoFundMe to help with his medical expenses. "He said all he remembers after the jump, is floating face down in the pool thinking that his arm was floating next to him (because he couldn't feel it)," his family wrote in a description of the GoFundMe page titled, "Support SJ's Journey to Recovery." "He said he thought he was going to drown because he couldn't move, so he was just swallowing water. His friends said they thought he was just floating and playing at first."
Wasp Leads To Paralyzed Teen
However, one of his friends realized that he was drowning. They rushed in to save him. Sadly, the teen is now paralyzed. "SJ was rushed to the hospital and we received absolutely devastating news. His spinal cord had been severed so badly that he will not have use of his legs and arms," the GoFundMe description states. "SJ has been admitted to PICU. The fractured bones were repaired. However, the spinal cord is the main stem of the body, and we're being told it's not repairable."
Fast forward eight days, and the teen is at least eating and drinking normally. They're hopeful he will make a full recovery following his run in with the wasp.
"Life happens quick. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Never take anything or anyone for granted. You NEVER think it'll happen to you, until it happens to you," SJ's mother, Anya, wrote in a Facebook post after the accident, adding later that she refuses "to believe this is SJ's story."
"He's ONLY 13! He has WAY too much more life to actually LIVE & FULLY ENJOY," she wrote. "SJ has so much support and so many prayers being said and spoken everywhere."
