.Our conversation continued: David informed me that he was finishing his classes this semester and with any luck he would be leaving the factory to serve an apprenticeship with Johnson Controls. He was really looking forward to leaving TRW, and believed they showed an interest in hiring him. He would know for sure after this semester. We couldn’t talk long but agreed to meet at the student union in a week. Once again he told me to watch my back at the factory. I just couldn’t figure out why he said that. As a utility worker no one was pranking me anymore. The other workers didn’t say much to me, but they weren’t throwing anything at me. I was wrong as usual.
.The foreman asked me to clean a production paint station that was shutdown and in need of maintenance. I prepared a solution and began wiping down one of the spray nozzles when all of a sudden the doors closed behind me. I succumbed to the fumes and woke up sitting on the factory floor with my back against the wall. I was wearing an oxygen mask and what looked to be a nurse and a medic at my side. She was monitoring my breathing and seeing me awake she asked, “how are you?” Through the mask I informed her I was fine, and wanted to know could I take the oxygen mask off?. She shook her head no and directed me to keep it on for the next ten minutes. She motioned the medic away.
.I wondered what had happened and I looked at my watch for the time. I remembered looking at my watch when entering the paint station it was 4:15am. It was now 6:30am and my shift would be over in a half hour. The nurse took the oxygen mask off and I immediately stood up. She asked if I was dizzy. I informed her I wasn’t, but I had experienced what I believed to be a very intense dream. She informed me that I was overcome by fumes, and had been sleeping for awhile. The station was supposed to be turned off but someone turned it on not knowing I was working inside of it.
.She escorted me back to the company clinic, signed some papers for the medic who was waiting for her, and returned to me. She asked me to sit on an exam table where she took my blood pressure, temperature, and listened to my heart beat with a stethoscope. She said I had inhaled a combination of ether and laquear fumes which made me pass out. Every thing seems to be fine now and I believe she noted that in her medical log.
. She asked me to follow up with the clinic tomorrow, and that I was free to go home. My shift was over. I told her I had an unbelievable dream, but was still trying to make sense of it. She informed me that “ether” would do that to a person. It wasn’t unusual. At that point I just wanted to leave and I did just that. I punched out at exactly 7:00AM I needed to sort this out, and I went home to shower. I was due on campus at 10:00am.. …My Life Journey…TO BE CONTINUED… JOHN 10: 23-30
MJ-Way 