CSU Anatomy Camp

I never knew the value of life until I held a human heart in my hand. The human body is strong and powerful with bones, muscles, nerves, arteries, and veins, but so fragile; one thing goes wrong and that is where surgeons come in.
Everyone ended up at the CSU Anatomy Camp for two reasons: to learn about the medical field and have experiences. It was like walking into a room full of like-minded people, who were eager to learn. I was there because I needed to be with people who could teach me and push me to better myself.
Everyday at Anatomy Camp, we woke up and listened to lectures in the morning, had a cadaver lab in the afternoon, and another lecture at night. I can still recall the first time seeing the cadavers. I changed into green Anatomy Camp embroidered scrubs and I felt like a real surgeon. The instructors directed us to be respectful to the bodies. We were told to sit down on the metal stools as a precaution since it is less distance to fall than standing up if we were going to faint.
There was so much chatter and my heart was racing. I could feel that this was one of many make or break points in becoming a surgeon. Did I have the stomach for it? Was I going to faint? The cadavers were contained in a black bag and the smell was pungent. It smelled of preservatives and chemicals that made us all uneasy, but it wasn't a bad smell.
They uncovered the bodies and it didn't look as I expected.
The cadavers were a gray color and were already dissected with no skin and only the muscle structures were visible. The muscles were divided so the veins, arteries, and nerves were accessible. We touched the muscle and nerve structures as they taught us about the body. The arteries had thick walls and were rigid, while veins were small and pliable. The muscles were firm and the nerves were thin. Every muscle, nerve, artery, and vein had a purpose in order to do one job: live. Seeing the structures of another person made it all surreal. There was a huge cadaver, which they nicknamed Thor because of his enormous size. I picked up his heart in both of my hands. The heart was cold, but the warmth that it gave me lasts to this day. I was looking at a person, not just a heart. These cadavers were once real people who had lived. I knew in that moment that I wanted to become a general or trauma surgeon for
people.
I remember getting a case study about the hepatic portal system and cirrhosis of the liver. My group started working on the case study before any other group. We stayed up late in the hall studying and I asked my group questions. They were willing to help and taught me that it is okay to ask questions and learn from others. I was determined to learn about the veins and structure of the liver, even if it took all night.
Since then, I started volunteering at St. Anthony Hospital in the PACU in October 2016. The operations I have observed are a fractured tibia repair, a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and an exploratory laparotomy. I have learned that I don’t just want to watch surgery; I want to be the one performing the surgery. Anatomy Camp taught me about myself and challenged me by forcing me to step out of my comfort zone. I need to enjoy the journey to medical school and not be terrified of changing the path that I am on. I want to learn and experience everything I can and use that knowledge to help others.