In Such Poor Health Walking Was Impossible Until a Fellow Passenger Virtually Carried Me to the Toilets.

Back when I was my late teens, my regular journey to work involved an packed public transport. The vehicle was always full and invariably became without any seats by the time I got on.

One particular morning, I was feeling terribly ill when the coach swayed around the bends. I kept telling myself to persevere for a few more stops until the bus arrived at my destination, and then I could make a mad dash toward the most convenient public toilet to be sick.

As we neared the street towards my stop and I understood I wasn’t going to hold on. All of a sudden, it felt as if a curtain fell over me. Everything just went hazy and muffled; similar to when one turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I will lose consciousness”.

Fortunately, I stood near the front of the bus, allowing me to take a couple of steps to ask the driver and told the operator to pull over, explaining to him that I was about to be sick. He opened the entrance and I weakly exited on to the pavement.

I was resolved to avoid being sick before a busy multi-lane road, so I picked myself up and endeavored to stumble across to the park across the road, where I believed it would allow me to secretly conceal myself among some shrubs to be sick. Yet I apparently lost consciousness. I sensed my body but I was unable to walk and my vision was blurry, so I started dragging myself toward the park.

“Everything alright, love?”

At that moment, I was lifted up. I sensed a strong arm supporting me and a stranger inquired, “Are you okay, dear?” I told this mysterious stranger that I had to to vomit. Thus, he practically supported my weight into a close-by structure and put me in the ladies’ toilets. He inquired if I needed him to remain with me but I declined.

After a short while, I regained my composure to the point of sitting on the restroom floor and from the other side of the stall I heard his voice asking, “Do you need anything, love? Is there anything you require?” I wasn’t able to get up just then but I did succeed to thank him and shortly thereafter was able to move my limbs. I made my way home and spent the following days recovering from what turned out to be a nasty tummy bug.

I never saw the stranger’s face – only his legs and a large steelwork tools container he was carrying – yet he rescued me, during a time when I was in my weakest state.

Frequently, society can make you defensive, aggressive and competitive. His act was the type of kindness that reverses that protective shell. He was proof that our default setting leans toward compassion, something I love about my fellow humans.