Dr. Don

Mila and Leslie are due to arrive today. I’m excited to see them! Their arrival means that I will be going home soon. I’m glad to get home to Cole and normal life but I’m also sad to leave behind some great friendships that have been created here.

I have a note here to talk about Don. He is one of the Docs here at McMurdo Clinic. His specialty is OB/GYN so we’ve bonded. I’ve enjoyed him and now that Mila is here I have moved into his office and we’ve had a blast. Don’s wife is a school teacher and her kids have sent homemade cards to the clinic. As always, kids’ cards are always funny and this bunch is no exception. On one card little Andy writes that “Jacob copied his penguin idea” which leads you to find Jacob’s card which reads “Andy stole my pumpkin idea”. Sure enough, Jacob has a pumpkin drawn on his card and Andy has a penguin drawn on his. While I’m talking about Don I’ll share that he survived “Happy Camper” which I believe I have described before. It’s where they take you out on the ice and you camp out for 2 days and one night. Don went to Happy Camper and it seems that while he was sleeping his hands came out of his sleeping bag and the tip of Don’s fingers got frostbite. His fingers will be OK but we have watched the healing process over the past few weeks. At first he had to wear tight gloves in order to keep his fingertips from hurting. Today he still suffers from some numbness but the pain has finally subsided. Another piece of joy that Don has brought to the clinic is a card that his friend sent from Hawaii. The card is a musical card that plays when you crank a little handle on the front. Don has posted the card on the wall near his office. It is heard several times a day throughout McMurdo Clinic. The music is catchy and every time it is heard everyone within earshot stops in their tracks and does the best hula dance they can muster. As I sit here and type this I can hear the song just as plain as day and for those of you reading this that have heard it before. Da dad a-t da, da da da da daaaa daaaa. Da dad at da, da da dat da, dad a daaaa duuuaaa!