NORFOLK, VA – Anesthesiologist and master entertainer Thomas Kingston couldn’t believe he forgot his handmade puppets for his usual daily puppet show to entertain the operating room (OR) staff. Thankfully, Kingston is a quick thinker and came up with the perfect back-up source of entertainment: a game of Peakaboo!
“Where’s the surgeon?!” Kingston called playfully and in a high-pitched voice, his head emerging from behind the surgical drape, face buried behind his hands. He removed his hands and smiled. He pointed at the surgeon. “There he is!!!”
General surgeon Alex Finley couldn’t suppress his giggle. In fact, the scrub tech is “pretty sure” Finley emitted a high-pitched “Tee-hee!!!”
“Where’s the surgeon?!” Kingston asked once again after briefly ducking behind the drape. Finley was still laughing, clapping his hands giddily. Kingston emerged once more, again peeling his hands from his face. “There he is!!!”
Finley couldn’t help hold back the laughter. He dropped the Bovie haphazardly into the patient’s abdomen before falling into the floor into an incontinent ball of glee. He couldn’t get enough of Kingston’s antics!
Ever since Kingston debuted his “Traveling Airway Puppet Show” last fall, surgeons have been clamoring to work with him on every case. Finley was present at the inaugural puppet show, and he has worked with Kingston ever since. Based on the tears of joy he is shedding while literally ROFL, it is pretty evident Finley doesn’t plan on working with any other anesthesiologist any time soon.
“Phew, that was a close one!” Kingston told Gomerblog. “I thought I was done for without my puppets! Peakaboo works on my infant, so I figured why not? It’ll probably work on surgeons too.”
Finley could be heard still busting a gut in the background. Nurses were quick to insert a Foley and rectal tube into Finley so he could finish up his case on time.
