Alexa and I getting ready for kayaking
Day twenty one we spent the last Sunday of our trip at Rainbow beach. The beach was about 20 minutes away so after that drive we were excited to jump in the waves. By courtesy of Dr. Moorman, Stephan, Alexa, and I all went jet skiing. I have never done this before, Alexa had, and my lack of experience flew both Stefan and I off of the jet ski. Not the best first experience of jet skiing if I say so myself, but it was still thrilling. We ate lunch and soaked in the ocean for most of the day and then prepared for part two of our Sunday, bioluminescent kayaking! Alexa, Stephan, and I went out at night on a kayaking trip to see the bioluminescent creatures in the bay. It was such a surreal feeling running my hands in the water and seeing them light up and dance around our fingers. There were stars in the water and stars in the sky. Nets were also provided to catch jellyfish and Alexa and I caught 3 each! They live up to their names because when we would hold them in our hands, they would leave a jelly slime behind. It was an incredible experience.
Day Twenty two we had procedures all day for more skin lesions and consultations. Today was mainly just the lesions and one eyelid procedure. Alexa still is not fond of eyelids.
Day Twenty three was our last long office day. The day went smoothly and Alexa and I cruised through the paperwork and the consultations with Dr. Moorman. We had almost 30 people but it did not feel overwhelming at all. This just shows that organization and time management is the key to success. For a short break, Alexa and I had lunch at No Bones and I had the best fried chicken of my life.
The ear before removal
Day twenty four Dr. Moorman had to run errands separate from us so Alexa got to sleep in this day. It is impossible for me to sleep in past 8:30 on this island! Once Dr. Moorman returned, we heading back out to the office to watch a few procedures. The last procedure involved the removal of part of a man’s right ear. Cancer had been eating away at the ear so Dr. Moorman removed it so it would not spread to his inner ear or to other important features.
Day twenty five we went in for our last day of surgery. We only had two smaller cases so Alexa and split them up. She scrubbed in for the first one for injections of steroids into keloid scars. These were burn scars on a person’s face and though Dr. Moorman could have done it in the office, it would be extremely painful for the patient. He removed two drainage holes that were leaking puss from the man’s face as well. I scrubbed in for a hand surgery, my favorite type of surgery so far, with which a women had a tendon ganglion cyst between the two middle tendons on her left hand. The cyst was farther down than we thought so when we were removing it, it was hard to not pop the cyst. When it was removed I got to do two more stitches and this time it felt natural. That night, we all went to Disco Bingo. This was one of the best nights because we played bingo and danced to music together for hours. It was truly an island encounter.
All aboard!
Day twenty six was our last full day in St. Croix. Stephan made a small campfire in the morning and we all roasted marshmallows outside. It was a nutritional breakfast if you were to ask me. Then we all headed out at about noon back to the Rainbow beach. Dr. Moorman had to go to the airport to pick up Andreas from his Denmark trip so it was the three amigos hanging out at the beach. We kayaked for a couple hours and splashed each other with the paddles. Alexa convinced me to go back out on the jet ski with her so I prayed for my life. See Alexa is a great driver, but it was windy and the waves were choppier so it ended up being me screaming in terror and enjoyment for 30 minutes with Alexa laughing her head off. I am glad I got back on the horse, but I do not know if I will drive a jet ski anytime soon.
Day twenty seven Alexa and I crawled out of bed at 5:30am to go to the airport. Stephan and Dr. Moorman, with Dr. Moorman at the wheel, drove us out and dropped us off. Now I am sitting on a flight back home wishing the waves were at my feet and I had re-tractors in my hands. But maybe not at the same time since that would not be sterile. Thank you Pinhead and all the wonderful workers, volunteers, and donors for letting me live my dream. This is an experience I will never forget and really helped me confirm that I want to dive into medicine. Thank you Dr. Moorman, the Lesson Surgical Center, and the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center for educating me and being so happy to answer our questions. Thank you to St. Croix for giving us both a cultural and educational adventure that I will forever hold gratitude to.
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