On Saturday I was to compete in my first triathlon. I was pumped. My wife and I were going to do the same event and we'd had a great time training for it. At 6:00AM the morning of, as I was loading the bikes on our SUV's bike rack, a bungee cord slipped from my grip, striking my eye - ending my hopes of competing that day. Through the mystery of the Vasovagal reaction - I passed out repeatedly and ended up in the ER - both to deal with the eye injury and to determine if there were deeper issues causing me to black-out. My triathlon that day included an ambulance ride, a EKG and a CAT scan. All checked out fine.
A photo of my eye - (caution -it's a little graphic) View this photo
There are numerous lessons I drew that day including the irony of working hard to get in shape as a response to my fathers' passing a year prior only to spend my big day in the same ER he frequented his last year of life. There's a lesson in perseverance, in overcoming discouragement and many lessons in being grateful - my injury could have been much worse and all indications are that my eye will be fine.
Having done a little research on the topic (try googling "bungee cord eye injuries") I've learned that these devices, which I've relied on for years, recoil at speeds up to 60 MPH and do lead to the loss of sight in many people every year. So, my biggest lesson, and the one I encourage you to learn from, is throw away your bungee cords. Use rope. Use safer devices. I was probably 1/4" away from losing sight in my left eye. Today, when you go home, go to your garage and throw them away and when you do, thank God for Evan's left eye. I'm sure I will every time I tie a knot in a piece of rope.
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