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

["Mike Durling" <durling@widomaker.com>]

Hey Ted,

My first thoughts too were, "where are the photos?".  Quite frankly though
I'm much happier that you are still around to tell the story!  Looks like
everybody did the right thing.

Mike D

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Ted Grant" <tedgrant@shaw.ca>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2002 7:07 PM
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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>

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