Dr. Rob and Amanda Visit

Our favorite New York City emergency room doctor, Rob Gorski was up for his second visit to Frenchboro School.  Mr. Finn and Rob go back to college days at Northern Michigan University.  They kept in touch over the years and Dr. Rob is always willing to come out to some wind swept island that we happen to be living on at the time, be it in Alaska or Maine.  This time he brought his special lady, Amanda, with him.  She works at the Museum of Modern Art.  I know!  So impressive.  Two for the price of one this time around. 

Dr. Rob started the day out right, by showing everyone nasty ER pictures he's accumulated over the years.  The kids' faces were priceless.  Especially at the "draining" of the cyst.  ARGHHH!  It was so gross, and we all squealed.  One of those, "Cannot....look....away" moments.

Then we got down to business and suited up.  Booties and all.

Masks, badges, gowns...the works.  Even the masks with the splash guard to prevent "fluids" from getting in the eyes. 

Dr. Rob did an awesome workshop on suturing.  Suturing duct tape is surprisingly similar to the real thing.  In Alaska, we just happened to have a fetal seal in the freezer for suturing.  Here, not so much.

Brody, Myron and Austin were all old pros, volunteering their services right off the bat.  As Dr. Rob said, "See one. Do one. Teach one."  Whoa.

Just in case the duct tape squirted...

After watching the big kids, the little guys got in there with gusto.  They were naturals.  Future surgeons we've got out here.

Surgeons who wear camouflaged Bogs.

With suturing all taken care of, it was time for surgery.  Saylor, Myron and Cadin all suited up with the hair nets.  You don't want hair dropping in your open wound, now do you?

And masks...to keep in the drool of course.

Scrubbing up.  It's not every day that the patient gets to watch the scrubbing process.  Amanda was our guinea pig and Jayde had not yet administered the anesthesia. 

The surgical team scrubbing in.  I love using all this doctor lingo.  Too much ER, House, and Grey's Anatomy for sure. 

Then Saylor assisted the doctors with their gloves so they wouldn't contaminate their perfectly scrubbed paws. I am happy to say the surgery was successful and Amanda no longer has an appendix.

On to the casting, our favorite part!  Last time just a few kids got casts.  I think perhaps the parents were not amused when their children came home with fully casted arms.  This time, they were better prepared to have all of their children immobilized.  EVERY student got a cast.  I love Seth's eyes in this picture.  He wasn't sure what Dr. Rob was going to do with those scissors.

There was such a whirlwind of casting that in just 15 minutes, all 11 students had broken their arms, been to the emergency room and received the proper care. 

What goofballs.

I've never seen kids so happy to have broken a bone.

They couldn't stop giggling and laughing

Even the doctors were cracking up.

What do you do after you get a cast?  Have everyone sign it, of course!

....by old friends,

and new ones.

Not to mention a teacher or two thrown in for good measure. 

We finished the day with Amanda telling us about her job at the Museum of Modern Art.  I always wonder what these kids will remember later in life as they have been exposed to some of the most amazing folks out here.  We had a woman visit from the Museum of Natural History and do a lecture on early ceramics and now we've had a lecture on typography from Amanda.  SO cool!  Thanks to Dr. Rob and Amanda for visiting our little schoolhouse.  So great to learn from you both.