Our first day in Hannover, we got up and took the train to Duderstadt to spend the day at the Otto Bock facilities there. Even though this was a day of the program that catered to the engineers in our group, it was quite the eye-opening experience for me. We had the opportunity to see the latest in prosthetics and orthotics as well as other older models that are still popular in other countries. Their organization of their manufacturing facilities was amazing. I wish my dad would have been able to see it, because as an owner of a fabrication company that also incorporates robots into their infrastructure he would have had an even higher appreciation and understanding of their use in the facility. What was the most impacting for me was the realization that life without a limb is definitely not the end of the world. I had always thought that, although I would never admit it, I would be devastated if I lost a limb. Vain, I know, but my views are now completely different. I feel that I would lose very little quality of life living with a prosthetic, and because of this I feel so much more confident in my view of life. I have never been one to shudder at the thought of aging, but now I feel that I can look forward to the later years of my life no matter what obstacles I may encounter and that, my friends, is a beautiful gift.
Tuesday was Sydney Day! Yep, all about Yours Truly, and it was fabulous. In the morning we were able to visit the vet school cattle clinics. It was awesome to see some of the original school buildings in use as well as have some cow interaction since I've been a little animal deprived the past few weeks. Every time I get to be around a veterinary setting, I feel at home. I think I get that feeling that you are supposed to have when you are passionate about something, and it makes me feel even more driven in my academic and professional goals. In the afternoon, we were able to check out some animals at the Hannover Zoo. One great aspect of this zoo was that they are following the new ideas of zookeeping in which compatible animals from similar environments are kept together and animals are organized geographically. This method of organization keeps animals intrigued and happy. We had the opportunity to get up close and personal with some polar bears during feeding as well as hippos which was super cool for me. I had never gotten to be behind the scenes at a zoo before. Even though I want to pursue a career in equine medicine, I have always been interested in zoo medicine, and now I would definitely jump at an opportunity to get some experience in that area.
For our last day in Hannover, we spent the morning learning about kidneys and different methods of dialysis which was a subject that I did not know much about so I found it especially interesting. Later in the day we went to the axolotl research lab where they are studing the mechanisms of axolotl regeneration and how they might be used to develop treatments in human medicine. Axolotls are the coolest little animals ever! They are a member of the salamander family and are mainly aquatic. Axolotls regenerate limbs and heal wounds rather fast and regenerated limbs are often identical to the limb it replaced. Topical ointments developed from this research increased the rate of healing in back wounds of mice in the lab and further research is in development. The fact that these little animals can self-heal and live up to fifteen + years is simply amazing, and it looks like they may very well help us in our own human healing endeavors.
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