Chapter 4 - Pig Lung Hero

Chapter 4 Pig Lung Hero

Jake has volunteered me to be a parent volunteer for a school project that he is sure I will be good at. Because of the non traditional hours I work, I am able to help out a lot during the day. Time already seems to be flying by and I am taking advantage of the time I do have. Both kids love to see me at school and because we do the Fire Safety Presentations in October, I have official hero status.
I did not think to ask him what the project was. He is always glad when I am able to be the parent volunteer and that still tugs at my heart.

I show up in the designated classroom and Jake walks over to lead me to his table. On the tables there a big plastic boxes and the smell of bad meat. There is a parent at each table and they all look as uncomfortable as I feel now. 

 
The teacher announces that today they are going to dissect a pig heart and lungs. There is an assumption that because I am a firefighter I have a higher tolerance for blood and guts. The truth is that when it comes to animals, I have a very low tolerance for any kind of traumatic injuries. If the trauma is worse, my reaction is stronger. Animals hurt in accidents or as a result of neglect make me quesy and give me the dry heaves. When this happens on a call, I have to have another person on the crew handle it. 

 
I open the lid of the cardboard box lined with heavy plastic and a nauseating wave of smells escape from the box. The scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage are really heavy in my stomach right now.
The teacher introduces all of the parent helpers and she tells the class I am a firefighter. There are a couple of oohs and ahhs in the class.

No pressure.

The teacher is walking all of the parent helpers through the dissection. On command we all put gloves on and remove the pig heart and lung from the box. Half of the kids at my table look lke I feel. My savior in the group is young AJ. AJ is looking horrified at the heart and the lungs on the table and is looking pale. He does not touch the heart or the lungs and when he glances over at them he starts to look pale.

I tell him it is ok not to look and by talking to him, I don't have to look so I feel a lot better - but not looking is short lived. The teacher produces long straws and announces we are going to inflate the lungs.

I am at a table with 4 kids (including AJ). Each kid has a straw and is trying to inflate the pig lungs. It is nauseating to look at and I am trying not to look. I am coaxing each kid to blow as hard as they can. Even AJ, has come back to the table and considering an attempt to inflate a pig lung. I keep telling him, he is OK to just watch and he looks relieved. Just when I think I am out of the woods, Jake hands me his straw and asks me to see how full I can blow the lungs up.

Jake, when you read this, I hope you realize how dearly and deeply I love you. There are two people on the planet I would inflate a pig lung for, the other one is your sister. 

 
I picked up the straw and blew hard and the lungs on the table were huge. Another round of ahh's. I smiled with the straw still in my mouth and all of that air in the pig lungs gets blown right back into my mouth. 

In what is without a doubt the bravest thing I will ever do as a firefighter, I smile and hand the straw back to Jake, who beaming. I have full blown hero status. 

AJ immediately heads over to the trashcan by the teachers desk and is heaving. I walk over to make sure he is alright and sit with him on the pretense of calming him down.

Firefighters do not throw up in elementary school trash cans. They throw up at home after going through a half a tube of toothpaste and half a bottle of mouthwash..