MoREAL Courage.

I was sending my baobei home yesternight and we were waiting for our bus at the bus bay. Everything went along fine and our bus eventually arrived. We were preparing to board the bus when we noticed quite a commotion occurring ahead of our queue. Curiosity then pressed us to probe further into what was actually happening.

There was this guy (probably a foreign worker) in the opposite queue who was leaning way backwards on the support railing. His body appeared to be straightened and stiff like a plank of wood. His eyes were rolled back and his face was covered in sweat.

"What's happening to this man?"

"What can I do to help him?"

"Is there a need to help him?"

I thought to myself over and over again. I even tried to replay the CPR course from my Army days in my head. A barrage of afterthoughts soon followed.

As I approached him, my mind went into a complete blank. I froze when it was time for action. Ultimately, I didn't do anything to help. I just avoided him and went on to board the bus.

As I stood on the bus and watched person after person pass by this man without rendering help, an immense sense of guilt and regret overcame me. I knew what was the right thing to do, but I didn't act on it. I've always thought of myself as someone who is not your typical unfeeling Singaporean, someone who cares about the people around him, someone who would always be the first to lend a helping hand.

Sadly, as I realized yesternight, that was just fantasy on my part. It wasn't reality. I do not possess the moral courage to do what was right. I'm just a coward, one who was seriously disappointed in himself.

I know it's easy to stand back and blame other people for not helping, but if everyone were to do that then will there actually be someone stepping forward to render assistance?

I did some research on my own after the incident to find out what are the steps to undertake should I encounter a similar situation in the future. From my readings, I suspect that the man was suffering a seizure.

A seizure is a temporary abnormal electro-physiologic phenomenon of the brain, resulting in abnormal synchronization of electrical neuronal activity. Put simply, a seizure causes a person to lose control of their body movement or function, sensation, awareness or behaviour. It can last for several seconds to status epilepticus, which is a continuous seizure that will not stop without intervention.

First aid for seizures include not letting the person fall awkwardly and placing the person in an area free of sharp or dangerous objects. This is done to prevent injuries. The person should not be restrained in any way nor should there be any attempt to put something into the mouth. It is not necessary to call an ambulance if the person is known to have epilepsy, if the seizure is shorter than five minutes and is typical for them, if it is not immediately followed by another seizure, and if the person is uninjured. Otherwise, or if in any doubt, medical assistance should be sought.

So now that I know how to render first aid for seizures, I do not have an excuse to wimp out the next time I meet with a similar case. I want to do better the next time round.