“Happening upon this incident, I was concerned first and foremost with the patient’s safety and wanted to stabilise him until he could receive complete medical care at the nearest hospital. I was further concerned for the patient’s wife as she had gone into shock seeing her husband collapse.
As it was the first time I performed CPR and AED on an actual patient, I remember feeling nervous yet highly alert in case any complications occurred. Recalling my previous interactions with other healthcare professionals in urgent situations reminded me to stay calm and composed to adequately address the matter at hand.
After handing the patient off to emergency services, I had some time to converse with the patient’s wife and console her. While I regret not being able to do more for her, I am thankful to have been able—in the words of Edward Livingston Trudeau—“to comfort always”.
My experience that day also demonstrated how much more I had to learn and practise to become a competent physician and how much more I could offer then.
In retrospect, this incident reminded me of how fragile life is and how much can change in a matter of seconds. I am thankful that our impromptu team of helpful members of the public and SBS Transit staff worked so cohesively to save someone’s life.”