Sunday, September 12, 2010

What's new and exciting in Raleigh?

Rocky - I got a dog! In May I adopted a Boxer from a girl here in Raleigh. His name is Rocky (perfect homage to Balboa). He is a giant 70 pound barrel of energy. Mom calls him a horse! He has been a terrific addition for me. He is a great running and walking partner, and loves to play with his toys! He is making new dog friends everyday, the best of which are Jackson, Allison's 8 lb Yorkie (they are the odd couple) and Melissa's Boxer, Mya.
From One Kooky Cook
From One Kooky Cook
From One Kooky Cook

The Harvest - last week I made a surprise trip down to Savannah with one of our surgeons to procure a heart for transplant. What an amazing experience!! We flew out of ground transportation on a Leer jet around 9:00 last Sunday night. Carolina Donor Services catered our trip with Jason's Deli, only adding to the coolness of the entire experience! We landed in Savannah about an hour later and were taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital. I scrubbed in with our surgeon to watch and assist in the harvest. It was amazing, there is no other opportunity to see the anatomy of the heart so clearly than when you are actually removing it.

In addition to us, there was a team from Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta harvesting a few other organs. The surgeon from Piedmont brought me down to his end of the table and went through the entire abdomen with me. I know it sounds gross, but it was amazing! As soon as the heart was packed on ice, we hustled out of the hospital, this time with lights and sirens back to the airport. We arrived back at RDU around 2:30, and I headed home to sleep for about two hours before heading back the next morning at 6!

1 comment:

  1. Love your dog, he's a cutie! And that's so cool about the heart transplant. I was a dental hygienist, but wanted to be a nurse, just liked the 9-5 thing better. Now that I have a kid, I wished I had been an R.N. so I could work some weekend or graveyards when my hubby is home so I could get out of the house.

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