RE: [Leica] Matt Kollasch got more than he bargained for! ;-)

["Jeffery Smith" <jsmith45@bellsouth.net>]

I'm glad that it was something as simple as that. I have these quite often
as a result of medication that I'm taking (Mestinon). I have learned that,
in my case, I can drink a small amount of fluid and the pain goes away and
the "tube is flushed out". The culprit that causes it most often for me is a
tuna sandwich on whole wheat toast.

Did Matt take his camera into the can to try to chronicle your cashing in
your chips? ;-)

Jeffery Smith
New Orleans, LA



> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Ted Grant
> Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2002 6:07 PM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: [Leica] Matt Kollasch got more than he bargained for! ;-)
>
>
> Matt got more than he bargained for, plus some! ;-)
>
> LUG member Matt Kollasch came to Victoria the other day to visit
> with Sandy,
> Irene and I to pick-up some tips in the darkroom, shooting, plus whatever
> along the lines of using Leica's M & R.
>
> However! ... "damn that word can have scary meaning at times!"
>
> Back the clock up 24 hours to yesterday lunchtime. The four of us had gone
> for lunch, Japanese of course, when I felt an odd kind of pain in my chest
> and suddenly didn't feel like eating, which led to a quick move to the
> men's.
>
> As I couldn't see what I looked like I suppose I gave others a start with
> the quick change of colour and quick departure leaving my M6 on
> the seat for
> good wife to care for.
>
> My good fortune was I had the solid character of Matt's stature to chase
> after me and within a minutes I was lying on the floor with such severe
> chest pains I thought I was about to meet my Maker. Most certainly not my
> idea of how I was going to leave planet Earth writhing on the floor of a
> men's room.
>
> Next came Irene and Sandy who immediately called 911, without
> question this
> was major heart attack situation. Well it sure looked like that with me
> clawing at chest and in such pain there wasn't any question the heart was
> about to do me in.
>
> Para-medics and two ambulances to the scene along with all the life saving
> bits and pieces, man what a hell of a commotion it must have been with all
> these medics, family and friends with moi crying out in pain and figuring
> this was it... the big departure! :-(
>
> Off to the hospital, good wife Irene riding shot gun up front with the
> driver and me beginning to feel relief and almost "why the hell am I lying
> here in an ambulance when I'd rather be out shooting with Matt & Sandy?"
>
> Get to hospital into ER bigtime with nurses and doctor doing
> there thing and
> within 3 hours, several tests and x-rays I'm cool, everything is
> A-OK and I
> walk out. So here I am relating one of the most scaring episodes
> of my life
> and trust me I have been in situations where I was so scared I
> wet my pants
> there wasn't any question I was going die right where I was. That
> was then,
> this is now. This was really big time scary!
>
> It had nothing to do with the heart at all! :-) :-) Man I can
> smile and make
> light of it today! Yesterday? Whew, not a hope! :-(  Like hell I
> hadn't made
> out my "Leica will" yet and whom I'm leaving my gear to. ;-) OK folks I'll
> correct it, as I figure some of you are waiting. :-)
>
> The agony and pain was created by an Esophagus contraction, this
> occurs when
> food becomes stuck in the esophagus, then it begins to contract to try and
> move it, when the food doesn't go anywhere, the esophagus just contracts
> harder and harder creating sever pain in the centre of the chest
> in my case
> and without question ... to me... was a heart attack of magnitude 12!
>
> So later after I'm released........ "Matt did you take any
> pictures of what
> was going on?"  He," No I was just worrying and paying the bill!"
> :-) "Your
> a hell of a photojournalist, here we arrange a real life near death moment
> and you don't take a picture. :-) I of course was kidding, because without
> this fine human being there at the initial stages, God knows what
> would have
> happened.
>
> Which once again proves how we build strong friend and
> brotherhood bonds on
> the LUG and all because we play with one little Leica camera.
>
> Matt didn't take any pictures. But! I'm in ER and the next thing I know
> there's Sandy with a camera shooting me! Oh well one for the record. ;-)
>
> Funny moment during it all, it's easy to think of these today. :-)
>
> Sandy was on the phone with 911 and says, "he's not breathing!"
> They, "give
> him mouth to mouth, pinch nose and breath into his mouth.
>
> I'm lying there and of course still breathing and the next thing I know
> someone is kneeling beside me, has pinched my nose, and for a moment I
> thought I was getting the kiss of death! :-) However, it was good Sandy
> giving me mouth to mouth! Today I can laugh about that one, but because
> Sandy had seen someone die a few years ago because no one would give mouth
> to mouth and she didn't know how to do it. She learned how and vowed she'd
> never hesitate in the future if that was necessary.
>
> My most good fortune she kept her vow! And my good fortune it wasn't
> necessary.  However. ;-)
>
> So guys and gals you didn't lose the old guy after all and
> hopefully you're
> as glad as I that this isn't being typed by someone else because I didn't.
> :-)
>
> Just thought you'd like to know one of the scary moments in the life of an
> age old leica shooter. ;-)
> ted
>
> Ted Grant Photography Limited
> www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
>
>
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