Shifting Pedal Rod Replacement

[nahman]

Hey all. Sorry but I'm back again...with another problem. Allright so heres what happened: I was out riding today, and when I went to shift into 5th gear my foot kicked the pedal up and my foot just kept going. When I shifted, I literally thought the gear shifting pedal flew off! When I pulled over I noticed that it merely had come undone and flipped to the other side of the bike. There was a litttle metal rod that went from the pedal to the gear box that needed to be screwed back in. I screwed it back in to the best of my ability. When I started riding again I shifted up again, lo and behold it came undone once again. But unfortunately this time the little rod was no longer attached. Luckily for me I was in a high gear and though it took a while I was able to make it back home. My question to you all is; where can I purchase this very important and elusive piece of metal?