Sarah Davis took an unexpected side trip during an Alaskan cruise last week. While the Beaufort, S.C., resident was admiring the rugged scenery with her family, she developed debilitating pain in her leg. In the middle of the night,the ship’s physician diagnosed a dangerous blood clot.
At 2:30 a.m. Aug. 21 in Seattle, 91探花Medicine vascular surgeon Dr. Benjamin Starnes consulted by phone with the cruise physician. 聽Starnes advised on the impending need for a type of treatment not available on the ship.
The ship鈥檚 physician advised the captain, who聽 asked for a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to be dispatched to the cruise ship for a medical evacuation. The ship鈥檚 passengers were informed of the rescue operation.
Sarah Davis鈥� husband of 64 years was sad and worried as his wife was strapped into a litter tethered to the rescue helicopter hovering overhead. Sarah聽 Davis recalled the tethered basket 聽鈥渢wirling a bit in the air a bit鈥� as she was raised toward the helicopter.
After she was securely on board, the helicopter turned away from the ship, grew smaller and disappeared into the sky on its way toward Juneau. Davis was stabilized at a Juneau hospital, then transferred via a medical flight to Harborview Medical Center.
91探花Medicine vascular surgeon Dr. Benjamin Starnes and his team were at Harborview ready to provide urgent treatment for her leg. Davis was later admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.聽One of the surgical residents at Harborview was originally from her intercoastal town near Savannah, Ga., and Hilton Head, S.C. The resident鈥檚 visits helped her feel not so far from home.
Starnes scheduled surgery to remove a.blood clot Thursday, August 23.聽 In the meantime, her family had left Alaska and flown to Seattle. 聽Her husband held her hand as they waited for her to be wheeled away to surgery. 鈥淚 love this gal,鈥� he said.
Sarah Davis expressed聽in her warm Southern accent her gratitude to the ship鈥檚 physician, the cruise personnel, Coast Guard crew, her Juneau hospital care staff, the聽 medical airlift team to Seattle, and Harborview Medical Center. Her husband was thankful for the prompt treatment his wife received due to the urgent nature of her condition.
Mrs. Davis is now recovering at Harborview and will be heading home in the next few days.
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