Insurer Denies Coverage For Patient Needing Double Lung Transplant After Snake Bite, Family Appeals For Aid

Cottonmouth Snake Bite Led To Husband’s Stage 4 lung Disease; Couple Seeks Help For Transplant

USA: A cottonmouth snake bite during a 2024 honeymoon set off a cascade of medical crises that has left 36-year-old David Linton dependent on a 24/7 breathing machine and facing a diagnosis of stage 4 pulmonary fibrosis — a condition now forcing him to seek a double lung transplant to survive. His wife, Sharon, says the family’s insurance has refused to cover the procedure, and the couple has turned to the community for financial help.

The bite in Floral City launched a prolonged, complicated care trajectory that clinicians describe as evolving over months. What began as an acute envenomation has, according to the family and medical advisers, produced systemic effects that damaged organ function and ultimately compromised pulmonary health. The couple say they are racing to secure resources so David can be evaluated and listed for transplantation.

Joseph Finley, a nurse practitioner and licensed venomous snake keeper who reviewed the case, noted that of the roughly 6,000–7,000 venomous snake bites in the United States each year, only a small fraction are from cottonmouths. He explained that venom-related muscle breakdown and subsequent clotting and byproducts can inflict longer-term organ injury, a process that specialists say may precipitate chronic complications such as fibrosis in vulnerable patients.

Now dependent on ventilatory support and facing the high cost and logistics of a double lung transplantation, the Lintons are appealing for donations and hoping a nonprofit will step in to help cover treatment and living expenses as they pursue a second chance at life together.

Video originally published on 2026-03-21 20:00:00