Al Hansen
Well-known member
Yesterday, while photographing in the area, I happened to see this small herd of cattle next to the highway. At first I wanted to shoot just the calves but then happened to see this one particular cow. Of course I was wondering why the rancher didn't take the time to cut off the tip of the one horn. She will lose her eyesight in the right eye first before going through a slow but most likely agonizing death later as the horn continues to grow.
This picture triggered a memory that has been stored in my brain for 43 years now. I was teaching in Anchorage and had a young, bright kid in my class by the name of Philip. One morning when school started I couldn't help but notice that he had his head down on his arms trying to hide his face. I walked over and quietly asked him to come outside in the hall where we could talk behind a closed door.
Philip had a huge home-made bandage over his left eye and of course I asked him what happened. "Well, Mr. Hansen," he said, "last night while Robert and I were walking home I happened to see a beer bottle in the alley and so I picked it up and tossed it at a concrete wall. It broke when it hit however a piece of glass flew back and hit me in the eye. I ran home and my mom took it out and put this bandage on my eye. I didn't sleep at all last night because it hurts me so bad. The pain is still awful, Mr. Hansen." Trying to stay calm, I asked, "Philip, did your folks take you to the emergency ward at the hospital?" "No, sir," he said.
I had another teacher watch my class and I took Philip to the nurse where upon hearing the story called the ambulance "post haste". It wasn't much, but I walked along side the EMT's holding his hand and then wished him well.
I found out later that mom and dad were teaching this young lad "A Lesson" so that he would never again do something so foolish.
At school later on, we were told that Philip's eye would have been saved had his parents brought him to the hospital right away. All of the vitreous humor leaked out of the wound (cut in the eyeball) and by the time we got him there the following morning it was too late.
More than once in my life I have often wondered if that ever bothered his parents when they looked at him. I still recall the day he came to school with his new glass eye in place. He was wearing a brave smile, if you know what I mean.
Al
This picture triggered a memory that has been stored in my brain for 43 years now. I was teaching in Anchorage and had a young, bright kid in my class by the name of Philip. One morning when school started I couldn't help but notice that he had his head down on his arms trying to hide his face. I walked over and quietly asked him to come outside in the hall where we could talk behind a closed door.
Philip had a huge home-made bandage over his left eye and of course I asked him what happened. "Well, Mr. Hansen," he said, "last night while Robert and I were walking home I happened to see a beer bottle in the alley and so I picked it up and tossed it at a concrete wall. It broke when it hit however a piece of glass flew back and hit me in the eye. I ran home and my mom took it out and put this bandage on my eye. I didn't sleep at all last night because it hurts me so bad. The pain is still awful, Mr. Hansen." Trying to stay calm, I asked, "Philip, did your folks take you to the emergency ward at the hospital?" "No, sir," he said.
I had another teacher watch my class and I took Philip to the nurse where upon hearing the story called the ambulance "post haste". It wasn't much, but I walked along side the EMT's holding his hand and then wished him well.
I found out later that mom and dad were teaching this young lad "A Lesson" so that he would never again do something so foolish.
At school later on, we were told that Philip's eye would have been saved had his parents brought him to the hospital right away. All of the vitreous humor leaked out of the wound (cut in the eyeball) and by the time we got him there the following morning it was too late.
More than once in my life I have often wondered if that ever bothered his parents when they looked at him. I still recall the day he came to school with his new glass eye in place. He was wearing a brave smile, if you know what I mean.
Al
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