Eys are the window to the soul

but tragedy struck?....what the ????

OK stupidity struck really. I don't know how many times I've said to my kids while we are skiing " OK it's the last run of the day....this is where accidents happen... be EXTRA careful!!"
Well it was the last run of the day last Thursday night. Jeff and I had spent a little time in the garage. We took apart his rear wheel brake assembly on the kids quad because they were sticking (turns out a brake pad separated from one of the shoes and would periodically get jammed in the second pad)
The next project was to put a removable handle on the large dolly that we have been using. Things turned out great. We were finished and packing up when I realized that one of the swivel castor wheels was impeded bu the handle. It just needed to have a small "nub" ground off to allow the proper movement of the wheel. I grabbed the angle grinder and started it up. Next thing I knew I was flat on my ass, feeling like I just got sucked punched.......in the eye.

And I did. Although I had glasses on, because I was upside down, they had shifted off the bridge of my nose leaving an opening. This was taken at 24 hours

Hyphema is the official diagnosis. Bleeding in the anterior chamber of the eye, usually due to blunt force trauma. The space between the lens and the iris fills with blood. At this point I am still panicking. I cannot see out of my left eye and the thought of loosing sight leaves me chilled to the bone.....my career will be over.

This is at about 36 hours, I still can't see much more than a bright light if shone directly into the eye. I am a little more relaxed in that the doctors say that in most cases people heal fine from this type of injury. The caveat is that they still cannot tell if there is any damage to the retina, I can't see out and thus they can't see in yet. The real immediate concern is a secondary bleed. If blood pressure gets too high or there is some sort of secondary trauma the initial trauma site can bleed and this can cause severe and permanent damage. So after spending Thursday night, Friday and Saturday at different hospitals and clinics, I am home for a week to ten days on light duties and bed rest. Hoping for the best

Here is the culprit, a small loonie sized chunk (Canadian reference) broke off the wheel. Looking at the cart, the metal wasn't even scored which meant there was a crack in the wheel from a prior use. This thing was going to fly as soon as it got up to speed.

For the first 5-6 hours sitting in the hospital with my friend Troy, all I could think of was "what am I going to do?" Not in  'pity me I lost my vision' sense but a simple and practical re-evaluation of the skill sets I have and what job can I perform to provide for my family.
Now I don't know if it was the percocet talking or what, but a stanza from a Robert Frost poem kept going through my head, over and over....

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. 

I know the interpretation is much more sinister, but the message was simple. I have responsibilities and promises to my family and so many more. I cannot, and will not, give up and lay down. I have a long way to go before I give up.

I will see again