A Louisiana woman’s long-awaited first cruise took a traumatic turn when a beach excursion left her with what loved ones described as a catastrophic genital injury and extreme swelling.
Kirsten Lindsey, 28, was on the third day of a Carnival cruise with her boyfriend when she was seriously hurt during a shore excursion in Honduras after an accident involving a rope swing, according to a GoFundMe created to help cover her medical costs.
“Based on what we witnessed, a retrieval/tag line appears to have been improperly connected to the swing,” Lindsey’s partner, Blake Ford, wrote on the fundraising page.
“As she swung out, the line tightened between her legs just before she dropped, causing a catastrophic injury.”
Lindsey initially thought she had only suffered a minor scratch in her genital area and attempted to “laugh through the pain” as the couple made their way back toward transportation to the cruise ship.
The situation quickly worsened, Ford said, as the swelling grew severe and the pain became increasingly unbearable.
Before long, Lindsey could no longer walk on her own and had to be taken by wheelchair back to her cabin aboard the ship.
Carnival’s onboard medical team treated Lindsey for several hours, but the swelling continued to intensify, eventually reaching what Ford described as roughly the size of a baseball.
After spending more than 12 hours in the ship’s medical center, the couple learned that a medical evacuation to Costa Maya in Mexico was the nearest location with airport access, according to Lindsey’s mom, WFLA reported.
As Lindsey’s condition deteriorated, the couple were then presented with three options for care — air evacuation to the United States, transport to the neighboring island of Cozumel where they could find their own way to the US, or remain in the ship’s medical facility.
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Lindsey remained in the onboard medical facility for around 26 hours and was slapped with a $3,500 medical bill — which didn’t include physician services, medications or procedures, according to the fundraiser.
“During that time, her pain became so severe that she could barely move, and at one point the medical staff told me they were trying to keep her awake because she would stop breathing whenever she drifted off from the pain medication,” Ford wrote.
As her condition deteriorated, the couple decided she needed proper care in the States.
For an air evacuation back home, the couple were asked to put down a $20,000 deposit and fork out another $30,000 upon arriving back in the US — and were only given a few hours to make the decision.
“We chose the air evacuation because we believed it was the best way to get Kirsten the care she needed,” Ford said, the outlet reported.
The couple was transported by ambulance through “severe weather” to the nearest airport for a private medical flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Lindsey underwent her first surgery at the HCA Florida Aventura Hospital and had to drive back home to Louisiana, as her injuries were too severe to fly, according to a social media post by Ford.
Upon returning to her home state, Lindsey received care at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center — only to be readmitted days later after making a visit to the emergency room on July 18, according to Ford’s social posts.
“They were completely shocked she was even discharged from the last hospital so early but now thank god we’re home and with OUR doctors and not the ones Carnival sent us to!” Ford wrote.
“Everyone that’s seen the injury has never seen anything like it, but they are doing everything they can to prevent permanent damage to her…grapefruit sized lady bits.”
Lindsey underwent a second surgery as she continues to recover from the catastrophic injuries sustained from the rope swing, according to WFLA.
