It was supposed to be the absolute perfect tropical getaway for a young couple enjoying their very first cruise together on the open water.
But the third day in Honduras brought a seemingly fun rope swing excursion that quickly shattered every single sunny plan they had made for the trip.
The twisted retrieval line was not supposed to snap back like a vice.
Kirsten Lindsey from Shreveport Louisiana stood on the wooden platform ready to jump and swing out expecting a thrilling drop.
But the retrieval line appeared improperly connected and suddenly tightened straight between her legs right before she dropped down into the water.
A catastrophic saddle injury hidden behind a nervous laugh.
And the line suddenly tightened between her legs just before she dropped which led her to think it was merely a painful little scratch.
So she even walked back to their transportation trying to laugh through the intense pain hoping the strange agony would simply fade away.
But the terrifying reality was caught on video when a female onlooker shouted loudly, “oh my god the rope is up between her legs” before checking on her.
A baseball sized reminder that the absolute worst was yet to come.
And within a matter of mere hours her situation worsened drastically and the catastrophic genital injury had swelled up to the alarming size of a baseball.
So Blake quickly called emergency services from the massive ship and Kirsten was rushed straight down to the vessel medical center for immediate treatment.
The heavy swelling turned a fun excursion into a frantic race for oxygen.
But she spent a grueling twenty-six hours trapped in that cramped ship medical facility, racking up an initial bill of over three thousand dollars.
And that steep cost did not even include the expensive physician services or the heavy medications and vital procedures she desperately needed to survive.
Three impossible choices lay out on a cold medical table.
So the terrified couple suddenly faced a brutal choice about what to do next while stranded far away from their safe home in the United States.
And Kirsten could be air evacuated back home or taken to a local hospital in Cozumel where they would have to figure out their own way.
But the final option was simply remaining in the ship medical facility for the rest of the agonizing cruise while the swelling continued to spread.
Fifty thousand dollars demanded upfront just to escape the ocean.
So they finally opted for the emergency air evacuation but had to pay a massive twenty thousand dollar deposit upfront just to get started.
And they knew they would owe another thirty thousand dollars the exact moment they finally arrived back on safe soil in the United States.
But he stated, “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.”
A private medical jet flying blindly through a severe tropical storm.
And he added, “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.”
So the young couple found themselves entirely stranded away from their home state of Louisiana facing a mountain of debt that just kept growing.
Two major surgeries later and the grueling nightmare refuses to end.
And he explained, “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.”
But Kirsten has since undergone two major surgeries since the horrifying rope swing incident left her with that catastrophic physical injury.
So Blake has shared a specific crowdfunding page to try and help cover the overwhelming costs following the terrible freak accident.
The online fund is the only thing keeping them afloat right now.
And it has managed to raise over twelve thousand dollars so far to help them tackle the spiraling fifty thousand dollar medical debt.
But they are still left facing a long and painful road to recovery after a single fun excursion turned their vacation completely upside down.
