Jul 20, 2007 5:21 pm US/Mountain
Church Member Pays It 4ward To Snakebite Victim
by Suzanne McCarroll
The idea behind CBS4's Pay it Forward Colorado project is to give $1,000 to a Coloradan (or group of Coloradans) who will use the money to change someone else's life. Below lies CBS4's July 19 report.WINDSOR, Colo. (CBS4) - Trenton Ditus spends his days doing painful physical therapy on his hand with playdough and practicing his drumming. He had thought his drumming days came to an end when a rattlesnake bit him.
"My hand was too swollen, I couldn't move it, " he said. "I couldn't grip the stick."
The rattlesnake bit Ditus' finger and his entire arm immediately started swelling.
"I was just thinking I was going to die," Ditus said. "Smaller rattlers carry more venom."
Ditus did not die, but he ended up in intensive care and now his family faces the struggle of paying medical bills -- without any health insurance.
That's where Ditus' youth group in Windsor comes in. The newest member is Jillian Angello, who heard the message her pastor had delivered, a message about praying for those in need.
But Angello also knows the saying "God helps those who help themselves." So she contacted CBS4 about the Pay it Forward program.
"I didn't think I'd get picked. I just wanted to try and do something nice," she said after she was selected for the $1,000 check. "Look what happened."
Ditus knew Angelo before the snakebite, but not well. Now his family counts her among its blessings. The money will help with medical bills.
"I felt blessed to have a friend like Jillian to do some awesome things for me," said Ditus.
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