Random Thoughts From Childhood Series-My Eye

October 9, 2009

Mat's Memories From Childhood

MY EYE

I was excited to be finishing my clay piggy bank today. A few days earlier a group of us kids worked on clay banks and today we get to finish them by painting them with glaze and getting them fired. The group of us raced out the door and headed to the office building where we would work on our banks. The group rushed into the door and raced down the stairs to the ceramic room. Everyone gathered by the shelve that held the pottery while I finished up the rear. I heard lots of ooh’s and aah’s as I entered the room. Apparently, one of the clay banks had vines growing out of it. The clay bank turned out to be mine. I grabbed it and stared at it for a brief moment and realized someone had placed watermelon seeds throughout my clay bank. The seeds sprouted and each vine was about three inches long. Once the weirdness of seeing vines growing out of my bank, it hit me that I would not be able to glaze my bank. While the other kids started to glaze, I had to start a new bank. I was really bummed out. I so wanted to open a can to see what color of glaze was inside.

I just did not have the patience to start a new bank. I went over to the shelves where the glaze was kept and grabbed a can. I had this strong internal push to find out what was inside this pint size can. Apparently, time flew by and it was close to lunch time and we were told to head back to our cottage to eat and take medicine. (Well it seemed that one of us always had some infestation. Head lice were the big one that most of us got but, some of us also had body lice and one of us had a parasite called pinworms. Unfortunately for my brother, he was the one with pinworms. The worms are very contiguous which required the kids in cottage one to take medicine to help us from contracting the worms.) As the other kids left the room, I positioned myself towards the back of the group so I would be the last one leaving the room. I grabbed the can of glaze I had been admiring and slipped it under my shirt and headed out the room to catch up with the rest of the group. The group took off running toward the cottage and I lagged behind a bit. I made sure I was the last one to enter the cottage but, I could not risk taking the can inside with me. There was an L shaped fence that hid the trash cans at the front entrance so I tossed the can back by the fence and out of view. I then entered the cottage. I took my medicine and headed to the kitchen to eat lunch. I actually forgot about the can and instead played with the other kids. It was late afternoon before I remembered the can I had left out front. I went to get it but, first I needed something to open it with. I snuck into the kitchen and grabbed a spoon and went out the front door over to the can. I looked around to make sure no one was watching and picked up the can and headed to the back of cottage one.

In the back we had an above ground pool that I believe we only got to use one summer. It seemed that the maintenance was more than Ivy House had anticipated. The pool water looked like a nasty science project gone wrong. As I walked to the pool, I kept my head on a swivel to make sure I was not seen nor followed. I notice men working on the utility poles just off Ivy House grounds. They didn’t seem to notice me so I kneeled down by the pool and pulled the spoon out of my pocket and began to pry up on the can lid. Just as I had the lid almost popped open, I took a quick look around to make sure the coast was still clear. I turned back to the can and pried one last time and as the seal broke on the lid, BANG! It exploded into my face. I dropped the can and put both hands to my face. I stood up and staggered a couple of feet and then collapsed to the ground screaming. I was afraid to remove my hands from my face and had great trouble standing up without using my hands and arms to help push myself up. I heard footsteps running toward me and someone reached down and scooped me up. The person was a man that kept asking me where I was hit. I was confused by the word HIT! As he carried me toward the office, I found myself removing my left hand from my face and slowly opening my left eye. Everything looked to be normal out my left eye. The man carrying me was husky and had facial hair and wore a yellow hard hat. He rushed me to the office as he was yelling for help and I could see a group of adults running out the front door and coming towards us. I was asked repeatedly what was wrong with me and where it hurt. They saw no outwardly damage on my body such as bleeding or trauma at first glance. I overheard the utility worker explaining to the other adults that he heard what he thought was a gunshot and witnessed me fall to the ground. He thought I had been shot by a gun. The explosion was that loud! The other adults asked me to remove my hand from my right eye so they could check for damage. I slowly removed my hand but, would not open my right eye. I heard someone say the outside of my eye was very swollen and was turning black and blue. I was taken inside the office and asked to open my eye. I was petrified to obey their request and after several more times of asking me and assuring me that it would be ok, I slowly opened my right eye. I could see no object in detail and everything in my vision had a yellow orange hue. There seemed a lack of knowing what to do next by the adults. Finally, someone called the police.

A police cruiser pulled up in front of the office and the officer quickly approached the front door. I could only make out gibberish between the officer and Ivy House adults. The officer walked briskly over to me and picked me up and rushed to his cruiser. I was placed into the back seat by myself and with the lights and siren turned on the officer sped off. I was strangely calm at this point and relished the fact that I was in a police car with the lights on and siren blaring. I remember at one point having to grab the front seat to keep from sliding off the backseat as we went around each corner. Suddenly the officer whipped into an emergency room entrance, hopped out and retrieved me from the backseat and rushed me into the hospital. I saw the officer flag a doctor and the doctor came over to look at my right eye. I saw him turn and he then whisper something to the officer and before I knew it, I’m rushed back outside and placed into the cruiser. The officer speeds off to the next hospital. I’m rushed into the next emergency room and placed onto a bed. A doctor comes in and looks at my right eye. He leaves and comes back in with saline solution and proceeds to flush my right eye. After several flushes I overhear the doctor telling the officer that there was nothing he could do for me and that I needed to be taken to a specialist. I was scooped up once more and placed into the cruiser and raced to the next hospital that turned out to be the Philadelphia Eye Institute.

Apparently, the mistake I made, other than taking the paint can to begin with was that I left the can in the sun on a very hot summer day. There was great confusion as to exactly what had happened. The can was supposed to be kept at room temperature and by placing it outside in the sun, the pressure built inside the can and when I broke the seal the lid exploded up into my face hitting me in the right eye. At least that’s the theory I was told once I returned to Ivy House and I will agree that sounds about right……….