Going out with a bang!

I can't believe its already the very last day working in the labs. It'll be sad to leave the lab but I'm excited for the poster session tomorrow!
Today was transplant day for one of the two patients waiting right now--very exciting!!
I was able to observe in the operating room with Dr. Markert, Julie (who works in the lab) and two other students (Dave and Ashley). After we carried over all the slices of thymus in a plastic bin and suited up in bunny-suits, hair and shoe covers, and masks we entered the operating room. A resident was actually performing the surgery with one or two doctors and several nurses, and us. It was a pretty full house but luckily we were in a pretty big room. They had started to put the central line into the baby when we arrived and it took them a while to get it positioned correctly. They start by putting a needle near the neck and then using it to guide a wire through a vein all the way to the heart, and then thread a tube over the wire and pull the wire out. They used x-rays to watch the position on the wire which we could watch on a screen. The central line will be used to give the patient calcium and nutrients while he's waiting for stomach surgery. They then started the transplant procedure by making an incision on both thigh muscles. Fortunately, one of the students was able to recognize at this point that they were not meant to be a surgeon and had to go sit down right away. I went out into the hall when the person fainted. Luckily, we were already in a hospital and some nice doctor brought us a wheelchair and some food. And so...i missed most of the actual transplant surgery. I was able to go back in the operating room just in time to see the last thymus slice inserted and watched them sew it up. Needless to say, it was a very interesting day at the hospital all around and a high light of the summer!
I'm so grateful for this opportunity, i can't imagine a better way to have spent time working this summer. Everyone in the lab made it such an enjoyable and amazing experience. Thanks to everyone in the group too, it's been fun!