The "You Need A Strong Stomach" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was recovering from my ordeal. Just sitting down relaxing and thinking if I did everything right. I'll start this whole story by saying that I don't like to see blood! It makes me pass out!! OK, here goes. I'm in my graphics shop teaching during 6thperiod when a student from the wood shop next door opens my door and says, "Mr. Mc needs your help right now!" I walk to the door and see Jeff, who teaches wood shop at MT High School standing next to a student who is in a chair, with a grip on his forearm and holding it in the air. There seems to be something wrong with this scene I thought. Then I saw what was wrong. The boy was missing a few of his fingers. I ran out of the room and headed toward the two of them. Then I saw the blood. Not good! I was scared. The class had just finished working and the table saw had just been turned off, but the boy who was injured had started to clean it with a dust brush too soon and ran his hand across the blade which was still extended and not totally stopped. I asked Jeff what he wanted me to do. He calmly told me he sent someone for the nurse and asked if I could find the fingers that were somewhere near the saw. Sure I could! Gulp! I instantly remembered a few things from my first aid course we were required to take in college and told another student to run to the cafeteria and get a bag of ice. Then I forgot about the blood. Not long after I found the three pieces of finger and the boy was back with the ice. I packed them in the ice and gave then to the nurse. The fingers had an eerie look and color to them, but then they weren't attached. I started to clean up what I could. Shortly after this an ambulance arrived and took the boy with the bag to the hospital. We did everything right we were told. Sad ending to the story though. His fingers were so badly damaged they couldn't be re-attached. To this day I can still see the scene when I think about it. Funny how you can remember all the details to something as bad as that. All but the blood. Luckily!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy