Woman issues warning after being hospitalized with horrific genital injury after cruise excursion
A woman has issued a warning after what she described as the 'worst experience of her life' during a cruise excursion.
Kirsten Lindsey sustained a 'catastrophic' genital injury while on vacation after she headed out on a 'rope swing excursion' on the third day of her voyage with Carnival Cruise.
The travel firm has since said the activity was not sponsored or recommended by them.
Explaining the horrific event, Kristen's partner, Blake, wrote on GoFundMe: "What was supposed to be Kirsten’s first cruise turned into the worst experience of our lives.
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"Kirsten was seriously injured during a rope swing excursion. Based on what we witnessed, a retrieval/tag line appears to have been improperly connected to the swing.
"As she swung out, the line tightened between her legs just before she dropped, causing a catastrophic injury."
Kirsten initially believed it 'was only a scratch', but the reality of the situation soon came to light.
"Within hours, everything changed," Blake added. "The swelling became severe, the pain became unbearable, and she eventually needed a wheelchair just to get back to our cabin."
The incident resulted in Kristen being injured with ‘grapefruit-sized lady bits’, leading to a hefty medical bill of a '$20,000 (£15,000) deposit [and] another $30,000 (£22,500) upon arrival in the US'.
Kirsten offered an update on her condition in a post shared to Facebook on Thursday (23 July), where she issued a warning regarding fake fundraisers set up under Blake's name.
"We have one GoFundMe account and that is it," she wrote. "Please be aware and don’t let people scam you trying to profit from my injuries. I can’t believe I’m even having to get on here to say this."
Once home and after receiving surgery for the injury, Kristen received care at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center back in her hometown of Louisiana.
Blake added: "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!
"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."
A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line said: "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."
Callum Jones