Young boy lucky to survive funnel-web spider bite

Ten-year-old boy bitten by a funnel-web spider required 12 vials of antivenom in order to survive.

Matthew Mitchell, from New South Wales Central Coast, was bitten on his finger by a spider hidden in a shoe while helping his dad in a shed at their home in Berkeley Vale on Monday night.

Matthew said he struggled to get the spider off as it bit down on his finger.

“It sort of clawed onto me and all the legs and everything crawled around my finger and I couldn’t get it off,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

Using a t-shirt to compress the bite, Mr Mitchell quickly rounded up his wife and Matthew’s 17-year-old sister, Natasha, into a car, and rushed him to Gosford Hospital.

Matthew’s symptoms intensified and he started sweating and frothing at the mouth as his eyes dilated. He then started having seizures.

Doctors gave him 12 vials of anti-venom before he stabilised.

Mr Mitchell had also collected the spider that bit Matthew, and it was taken to the Australian Reptile Park.

Park general manager Tim Faulkner said Matthew was lucky to be alive.

He told the newspaper that the boy would be awarded a “Spiderman Bravery Award” at the park once he is well enough to visit.

Mr Faulkner said male funnel-webs – which are five times more venomous than their female counterparts – are out in full force in February and March as it is the species’ breeding season.

Mr Mitchell said the family agreed to share Matthew’s remarkable near-death experience in an effort “to spread the message” about always checking shoes, gardening gloves and washing left out overnight for spiders before putting them on.

We wish Matthew a speedy recovery.

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Image via Daily Telegraph

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14 Comments

- - mom94125 said
  - 18 Oct 2017
    9:05 pm
the father did the right thing in collecting the spider as well but it is not something that i would have thought of at the time.

- - BellaB said
  - 26 Feb 2017
    7:12 pm
Thank goodness his father acted so promptly.

- - mom160421 said
  - 26 Feb 2017
    5:57 pm
This is so scary, but I’m glad the young boy is okay.

- - mom93821 said
  - 25 Feb 2017
    6:10 pm
It must have been an absolutely terrifying experience for this family and for the poor boy. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Funnel webs are potent spiders.
- mom93821 replied
  
  26 Feb 2017 , 7:06 am
  We no longer leave our washing out overnight as we had unwanted visitors!
- - Amanda Holland said
  - 25 Feb 2017
    4:38 pm
How terrifying for both him and his family! Wishing him a very speedy recovery.
Love the award the reptile park want to give him

- - rachel1970 said
  - 25 Feb 2017
    1:44 pm
Being a spider-phobe I am not enjoying seeing this picture of the funnel web spider appear every time I log into MOM. But poor boy, thank God her survived. How frightening for him and his family. Thank goodness I live in Victoria

- - twinningmum said
  - 25 Feb 2017
    12:12 pm
how terrifying!! i hope he gets well again soon

- - Ellen said
  - 25 Feb 2017
    4:14 am
Oh my goodness, how frightening !! Hope Matthew recovers speedy and totally !
I don’t know how many funnel web spiders we killed literally at our front door and some in our house !! I hold my heart when I realize how often this could have gone wrong.

- - mom57619 said
  - 24 Feb 2017
    9:56 pm
I will have to remember to check the washing – never thought of that!

- - cherz said
  - 24 Feb 2017
    7:30 pm
Just seen the young lad on TV …wishing him a speedy recovery.

- - june11 said
  - 24 Feb 2017
    4:29 pm
I hope the bite has no lasting physical effect on Matthew. A warning to check shoes, gloves etc. and take them just inside the door – don’t leave them outside or in sheds if you can avoid it. I’m afraid that spider would have been doomed at our place.

- - nealsq said
  - 24 Feb 2017
    3:05 pm
speedy recovery to him, too scary for me? I hate spiders

- - mom112217 said
  - 24 Feb 2017
    2:36 pm
Wishing Matthew all the best after such a shocking experience.