My name is Kraig Hammond, I am a senior at UAF, currently studying bio-physiology and Arctic Survival. This is my last semester as an undergrad, and I hope to gain admittance into medical school and become a orthopedic surgeon, or infectious disease doctor. I decided to take microbiology because it plays a critical role in all fields of biology, and is key to many biological processes. Furthermore, understanding microorganisms is essential for the medical field, both for pathology and treatment of diseases. My fascination with microorganisms was sparked by an experience I had while I was on a remote river in Alaska. I had contracted a staph infection from a national wrestling tournament a week prior that lied dormant in my knee’s bursa sac . While on my remote float/ fly fishing trip, my bursa sac popped and sent the infection into my blood stream causing me to go into septic shock. I remember how fast the infection took my body and debilitated me, causing systemic pain, disorientation, and left me unable to move. I lost consciousness at 5pm on the middle of a 52 mile remote river and awoke the next morning in the ICU in Anchorage unaware of how I got there. I spent the next 10 days in the ICU, undergoing blood platelet transfusions, and trying to rid the infection in my body.
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