14 hours ago
Woman ‘holds death in her hand,' lives to tell about it
A woman in Japan unknowingly put her life at risk when she bent over and picked up a shell while exploring tide pools.
Beckylee Rawls, 29, who lives with her husband in Okinawa, collects shells, and on this day she was videotaping the various creatures in the pools for a TikTok video when she came across a 'beautiful shell.'
'Honestly, the only thing going through my head was, 'That's a pretty shell, let me take a closer look,'' Rawls told People.
She held it for about 30 seconds before noticing something inside: a live cone snail. Taken aback, Rawls replaced the shell in the water.
She posted a few TikTok videos showing her misstep.
As she was leaving, Rawls did an online search for that shell.
'That's when I learned I might have just made the biggest mistake of my life,' she told People.
The cone snail is among the most venomous creatures on Earth. The shell isn't dangerous, it's what's inside the shell. Cone snail venom can cause paralysis, respiratory failure and cardiovascular collapse. A sting can be fatal.
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FOX8 reported that Rawls 'went to the beach and held death in her hand.'
Fortunately, she wasn't stung, but the thought that she might have been stung persisted and 'terrified' her.
'My brain kept convincing me that I had been stung and just didn't realize it,' she told People. 'By the fourth day of panic, my husband was sick of reassuring me I was indeed going to live. There is no anti-venom—that's the craziest part. It's a hope-and-pray situation.'
It should be noted that humans have survived stings from cone snails, but prompt medical care is crucial.
"It's even nicknamed the 'Cigarette Snail' because, according to urban legend, if it stings you, you won't live long enough to finish a final cigarette," Rawls told People. "That chilling reputation really put things into perspective."
Photo courtesy of Beckylee Rawls.
