Award-winning children’s author and illustrator Julia Heckathorn of Nokesville faced a life-threatening snakebite while embarking on a mission to rescue an endangered species from extinction.
Heckathorn shared the chilling story of her survival with children and parents at Sweet Creations at Bristow Center Wednesday before reading from her children’s book series “Search for the Hidden Clover.”
Heckathorn never wrote a book until she began her “Search for the Hidden Clover” series in 2009, which she wrote out of a passion for conservation and a desire to share that passion with the next generation.
She says she has often felt “called” to do something special and has followed that instinct which has directed her many unconventional pursuits such as keeping exotic pets and flying around the world to promote conservation.
So, while the characters in her adventures seem to have been inspired by episodes of “Dora the Explorer,” getting to know the Heckathorns, one quickly realizes they are the real versions of the "Search for the Hidden Clover" characters Julia and Jason, the young couple who embarks on adventures in exotic lands.
The Plight of the Three-Toed Pygmy Sloths and the People of Equado Island
Back in September, when Julia Heckathorn learned how the three-toed pygmy sloths that inhabit a small island in Panama would be extinct within a decade, she knew she had to act.
As she told the children: “When you find out there is a problem, you have to find out how to fix the problem.”
To fix the problem, she and Jason traveled to Panama where they took a boat to the remote island of Equado. There she found that the pygmy sloths were threatened not because of industry, but simply from people living day-to-day with limited resources.
Although the people of Equado were not big consumers, they lacked proper garbage sanitation, thus making their waste an environmental threat. Likewise, because they solely relied on the island for lumber and timber, they excessively harvested trees, thus severely diminishing natural habitats, including that of the three-toed pygmy sloths.
Heckathorn realized a few changes could save the sloths. The problem was relaying this information to the islanders. As Heckathorn explained, she was a stranger on the island. She hardly spoke the language and had not earned the people’s trust to the point where they were willing to listen to her recommendation on how to save the pygmy sloths.
Julia’s Survival Story
But that all changed one day while she was out on a remote part of the island with Jason. Julia was bit by a poisonous snake. Just as it happened, a man pulled up in his boat crying “Peligroso! Peligroso!” meaning “Danger! Danger!”
Heckathorn immediately fell into a coma and was rushed to the hospital on the mainland. Even with the anti-venom, the doctor’s only gave her a 50 percent survival rate. Jason was frantic and called his church back in Northern Virginia who prayed for her survival.
Local people began to gather around the hospital hearing about the foreign woman who was bitten by the rare snake. They too began to pray for her.
After three days, Heckathorn finally awoke. She had survived the danger.
Preservation of the Three-Toed Pygmy Sloths
Hearing the woman survived the deathly snake venom, the people came to talk to her. They had considered what she had told them and decided they wanted to save the pygmy sloths.
“After that, everyone was on board for conservation because I had survived their fiercest snake,” Heckathorn told the children.
Because of Heckathorn, the mayor of Equado even denied access to developers wanting to build a resort hotel on the island, saying they decided to focus on conservation instead.
Heckathorn said everything that happened was quite uncanny, and she believes it may have been God’s providence at play. For example, before she took the trip, she researched snakes. She did not find anything indicating that the particular snake that bit her inhabited that part of Panama, but nonetheless, she requested the anti-venom.
Conservation Efforts
Returning to the states, Heckathorn dedicated herself to the mission of saving the three-toed pygmy sloths on Equado. She contacted foundations and organizations and formed a partnership that included CONVAI, DWA, Minnesota Zoo, Tree Foundation and ZSL Living Conservation.
Funds from “Search for the Hidden Clover: Equado Island” help to maintain the Three-Toed Pygmy Sloths sanctuary in Costa Rica as well as other profits from her series.
“All of the sales of all of my books go toward my work in Panama,” Heckathorn said.
The “Hidden Clover” Series and Sweet Creations Reading
While the adults were entranced by Heckathorn's amazing story, children at Sweet Creations were engaged with "the search for hidden clover” because the books are so interactive. While reading “The Search for Hidden Clover: Kangaroo Island,” Heckathorn showed the book’s images on the video screen and asked for audience participation.
However, even without the accompanying technology, the books offered ample opportunity for entertainment. They are appealing to both the eyes and ears as the entire series is written in rhyme and illustrated with cartoon characters superimposed over photographs of lush landscapes.
Heckathorn said she loves doing presentations for children at schools and museums and oftentimes brings her pet kangaroo along for show-and-tell.
Sweet Creations owner, Debbie Bankert, said she knew Heckathorn from their church, but also invited her because she feels strongly about her cause as she also supports conservation efforts in Central and South America herself.
Readers can visit her "Search for the Hidden Clover" website for more information on the series and conservation efforts.
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