A Cottonwood teenager has recovered from being stung by bees more than 200 times.
Judy Sanchez, who lives near 18th and Birch streets in Cottonwood, said her 17-year-old son, Zachariah, was riding his bike on a piece of nearby vacant land June 6.
Zachariah is 17, but Sanchez said he has developmental disabilities and has the mental outlook of a 7-year-old.
The land wasn’t completely vacant, however.
“He saw some bees and was curious,” Sanchez said.
The bees attacked Zachariah when he went to investigate.
“He took his shirt off to try to get them away,” Sanchez said.
That only apparently provoked the bees into attacking more fervently.
Zachariah’s predicament caused so many stings that he came running home. Sanchez said that 911 was called and eventually her son had to be taken to Flagstaff Medical Center, where he was treated and kept for several days.
Zachariah was initially taken to Verde Valley Medical Center, Sanchez said.
While her son was in the hospital, Sanchez said she tried to have the bees eradicated while her son was in the hospital.
It was a bit of a problem at first, Sanchez said.
Sanchez was advised to call a pest control expert but no one could do anything because she didn’t own the vacant land.
“They wouldn’t come,” Sanchez said, who added that she didn’t know who owned the land.
“I kept making calls,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez eventually got a hold of the city of Cottonwood, where officials directed her to the Cottonwood Fire Department.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, June 17, edition of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
