At 6 a.m. on Friday, April 17th, most people are just beginning to wake up and the city is arising from its slumber. But 28 students from La Salle were already up and starting the day at Providence Portland Medical Center to watch a live surgery from an auditorium.

Providence allows students to view surgeries through their program called Chest Watch that exposes students to careers in the surgical field. The day began with the surgeon, Dr. Handy, describing the lung cancer surgery he was about to perform. While students from six schools watched live video from the surgery, medical professionals provided information and explanation about the surgery and what was happening in real time.

The patient being performed on was an elderly man who had been a heavy smoker most of his life and worked as a plumber. It is estimated that the patient smoked over a million cigarettes and spent $287,689.35 on cigarettes over the course of their life. The lung cancer itself had been discovered by accident when the man broke a rib and received an x-ray that revealed the tumor.

Lung cancer is most common in smokers and is rare among non-smokers.

The lung operation was a bronchoscopy and minimally invasive meaning that a incision was made just big enough for the surgeon’s tools and a camera to enter the chest cavity of the patient. The tumor in the left lower lobe of the lung was found and removed from the patient as were many lymph nodes.

The surgery was a harsh reminder of the dangers of tobacco smoking not just to the lungs, which we significantly darker than normal due to smoking and air pollution, but to the rest of the body as well. The patient was also diagnosed with heart disease, emphysema, and had white plaques of asbestos along the inside of their chest cavity from his work as a plumber.

Providence’s Chest Watch program is aimed at high school students and is an effort to expose students to multiple careers in surgery, medicine, and social work. The medical field is the highest paying career field and one of the most diverse. The medical field is not just doctors and surgeons but includes programmers, engineers, designers, researchers, and analysts.

“I feel very strongly about vocation…a career is not just a job, it is a life calling and should reflect your values, skill set, and goals. The earlier students can explore this, the more they are able to discern what and who they are called to be,” says science teacher Mrs. Coleman. “I am especially passionate about providing opportunities for students who are eager to explore and discern their interests. Many students are aware of STEM careers: engineering, doctors, or nurses. However, there are so many different options available and I want students to experience these opportunities first hand, though I think guest speakers are effective as well. During these experiences, a student may feel called to this career or, they might realize this is not for them. Regardless of the outcome, the student has thought about their future and is one step closer to becoming the person they are called to be.”

Many students expressed excitement before and especially after the surgery: “It was really eye-opening to see how surgery works in real life and what’s it’s like to be a surgeon,” said senior Alex Peterson. “Plus, it was hella gnarly.”