“At first, she thought it was only a scratch. She even walked back to our transportation trying to laugh through the pain. Within hours, everything changed.”
Kirsten was seriously injured from the rope swing activity (Facebook/Blake Ford)
Blake said the swelling became so ‘unbearable’ that Kristen needed a wheelchair just to get back to their Carnival cabin.
“I called 911 from the ship, and she was rushed to the medical centre where doctors treated her for hours. The swelling continued to worsen until it had reached roughly the size of a baseball,” he added.
The pair were given options of being evacuated via air to the US, taken to a hospital in Cozumel ‘and figure out our own way home’, or to ‘remain in the ship’s medical facility for the rest of the cruise’.
After deciding to go with air evacuation, Blake said they had to fork out a ‘$20,000 (£15,000) deposit, another $30,000 (£22,500) upon arrival in the US, and had only a few hours to make that decision’.
The couple forked out a hefty air evacuation bill (GoFundMe)
“While waiting for evacuation, Kirsten spent approximately 26 hours in the ship’s medical facility, where charges alone reached around $3,500 (£2,600), not including physician services, medications, and procedures,” Blake added.
“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.
Kirsten suffered a ‘catastrophic’ genital injury during a Carnival cruise excursion in Honduras (GoFundMe)
“After hours of delays, she was finally transported by ambulance through severe weather to the airport, where a private medical jet flew us to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“We are now away from home while she undergoes testing, treatment, and recovery.”
Blake said Kirsten had her first surgery at the HCA Florida Aventura Hospital but was forced to drive back home to Louisiana, as her injuries were too severe to fly.
When Kirsten got home, she received care at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center, only to be readmitted days later after visiting the emergency room on 18 July.
“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!” Blake wrote.
Lindsey has now had a second surgery (GoFundMe)
“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.”
Blake explained that anything raised will go directly toward emergency medical expenses, air evacuation and transportation costs, hospital bills and follow-up care, travel and lodging while she recovers and getting us and our vehicle home safely.
“The financial impact has been overwhelming. Between emergency transportation, medical expenses, travel, lodging, lost income, and the unexpected costs of getting ourselves and our vehicle back home, the expenses continue to grow,” he added.
A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line clarified that ‘the incident did not occur on a Carnival-sponsored excursion’.
“We are aware of reports regarding a guest who was injured while independently exploring Honduras. After returning to the ship, the guest was promptly cared for by our onboard medical team, which provided treatment and facilitated access to additional medical resources. While the incident did not occur on a Carnival-sponsored excursion, we remain concerned for the guest’s recovery. The safety and well-being of our guests is always our top priority,” a spokesperson said.
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Blake Ford
