I saw open heart surgery today! I thought I would open by talking about this fantastic experience, I got to stand at the head of the patient so close I could feel the heat of the cautery on my face. The surgeon started by cutting a hole in the patient’s chest so he could attach the ECMO machine to his heart so the blood could be taken out. After this, he cut all the way down his chest and cracked through the ribcage where he cauterized the muscle away and I saw the beating heart. It was such a rush of adrenaline, seeing a beating heart. They then put him on ECMO and drained more blood so his heart stopped, they cut into the heart and removed his old aorta. The inside of the heart looked like a maze with a million corridors. After this, an artificial aorta was stitched in. They had to put all the blood back in the body and shocked his heart so it would start. After an anxious wait the heart started and they began closing him. first, the muscle was sewn shut then they threaded metal wires through the ribs and pulled them in opposite directions to close the ribcage. After this, they stitched him up and began to wean him off anesthesia. Getting to see this was so amazing, I feel so lucky to be here.
I have learned so much already, starting the week I was in oncology. While working in the inpatient center I met so many people who were receiving palliative care and about to die. It was hard to see this but I learned many things, cancer isn’t a simple diagnosis everyone’s cancer is different. I learned how hard medicine can be and what it requires to work in oncology. On the brighter side, I learned how to give patient entry exams and how to take blood. I learned about radiology, chemotherapy, diagnoses of cancer, and surgical oncology. I also got to see what obgyn is like. I went to the nursery and got to hold the healthy babies about to leave and I saw a baby with heart palpitations get treated. I went to the Nico and saw many babies receiving care. I was taught how to give a baby an exam and what different treatments babies receive. Tomorrow I will be seeing a glossectomy and another heart surgery.
Next week I will be working on a research project after work that might be published. I will also be on head and neck surgery, learning from an ENT. I am so grateful for this experience and excited to see where it goes. Seeing a surgery is something I will never forget. I’m positive that I want to be a surgeon.
Out of my internship, I have been able to experience many fun things in beautiful Israel. First, I went to Caesarea Israel’s ancient Roman ruins. Thousands of years ago when the Romans went to Israel they set up a town right on the water, this town is now one of the best-preserved Roman ruins. You can see through the years as different people inhabited this town they tore down the other religions and built theirs on top. For example, a church was built on top of a mosque which was on top of a synagogue, etc. There I saw old pots, sculptures, and preserved buildings including a bathhouse. I have been able to see the cities and try a lot of Israeli food. I went to the beach and am planning on seeing a soft turtle river. 
You are so fortunate to have this opportunity. It is priceless . This will last your lifetime. Thanks for educating us. 😉 Enjoy