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Two years ago, Yolanda Diaz lay in a bed at University Community Hospital, her arms bruised and swollen by a water moccasin's deadly venom.
This week, the mother of fourbasked in California's movie star glow while filming a segment for I'm Alive, an Animal Planet program that features people who survive animal attacks and shows how it changed them.
A giddy Diaz gave a phone interview from her Santa Monica hotel room, which had an ocean view near the boardwalk. It was her first time in California, a trip she never thought she would make in her lifetime.
"Had this not happened, we would have never been able to afford to come to California," said Diaz, 47, who with her husband and 15-year-old daughter got a free trip from the show. "It's amazing."
Don't mistake her excitement. She did not enjoy her encounter with the snake. She paid...