June 30, 2023, “started as a normal workday” for Jeff Rymer, who was employed as an electrical contractor.

“We were doing a molten salt pump-out at a manufacturing plant when things went sideways,” he recalls to PEOPLE exclusively of the moment a chemical explosion occurred during his shift. “Smoke was everywhere, and then there was a major spill.”

“I was able to get out of the building, but then I heard a coworker yelling for help,” Rymer continues. “I turned around and went back inside to help get him out. That’s the moment everything changed for me.”

The coworker whom Rymer, now 43, saved was Preston Cobb. He lost his left leg, all the toes on his right foot and all his fingers on both hands, except his thumbs. Additionally, Cobb’s right leg was burned to the knee, both his hands and arms were burned and he lost a piece of his ear.

Rymer, meanwhile, inhaled toxic smoke from the chemical explosion that left him with severe adult-onset asthma.

More than three years later, Rymer tells PEOPLE he and Cobb have not had a chance to connect after their lives were both changed on that June 2023 workday.

“My wife, Robin, has kept in touch with my former colleague, but I haven’t been able to see or speak with him myself since the accident,” Rymer says.

“For a long time, what happened that day was very difficult for me to talk about. I was dealing with the post-traumatic effects of the accident, and there were parts of that experience that I just wasn’t ready to revisit,” he further explains.

Now, Rymer admits, “I’ve come a long way since then, and I’m able to talk about the accident and share my story in a way that I couldn’t before.”

Still, Rymer tells PEOPLE, “Connecting with my former colleague directly is still something I haven’t been ready to do.”

“I do hope to see him one day,” he continues.

As for what he would say to Cobb should their paths cross again, Rymer says, “If I can speak at all, I guess whatever God leads me to say.”

“There are so many emotions and thoughts about that day and the days, weeks, months and years afterwards, it would be almost impossible for me to tell what I would say,” he adds

Rymer is currently working through his own health issues by using Tezspire, a biologic medicine that targets the inflammation that drives severe asthma, thanks to access provided through his pulmonologist.

“Before the accident, I had never had issues with my breathing. After the explosion, I spent four days in the hospital receiving respiratory treatments,” Rymer recalls. “When I went home, instead of getting better, I got worse. Within days, I knew something was seriously wrong and ended up back at the hospital.”

“I was eventually diagnosed with severe asthma. I found that things I’d never thought twice about before could affect my breathing,” he continues. “I’ve always been very active and independent, but suddenly I couldn’t put out my garden, take care of my chickens the way I used to, or even mow my own grass.”

“Having to rely on other people for things I’d always done myself was really difficult,” adds Rymer. “My doctor and I had been working together to manage my asthma and talking about different treatment options. I started Tezspire in April 2024, and at this point in my journey, I’ve been really encouraged by the progress I’ve experienced. … Today, I’m grateful that I’m able to do more of the things that are important to me and have more of that independence again. I still have things that can affect my breathing.”