On the train this morning, a gentleman had a seizure. A grand mal/tonic clocic seizure, to be exact. He fell to the ground, of course, and people screamed and a few semi-panicked.
The woman in the seat in front of me whipped her head around to see what the commotion was, and then pretty casually said, "Oh, he's having a seizure. Make sure he doesn't hurt himself." She got up and went to him. I glanced back, saw that she was right, and went back to reading the news while somewhat monitoring the situation behind me.
One young man, maybe 30, was speaking to the conductor through the intercom. His voice was stressed, but he was clear and calm. One woman who had been standing by the man when he collapsed was bent down rubbing his back. The other woman, who'd gone down earlier, was talking to him in soothing tones. She explained that the train was stopping soon, that an ambulance was coming, that she was making sure he was okay.
The panic turned to concern. The rest of the train stayed on alert, but there was no more chatter. They were just there, listening to the young man and the woman.
When the train stopped, most people filed off to catch other modes of transportation. The two women stayed with the man even after the medics came. I left to walk the last couple of miles to work.
What struck me was that after the initial fall, no one acted poorly. No one complained about the train being held up. No one talked about the man as if he weren't there. It was a respectful silence while others handled the situation.
I hope the man is okay. The seizure was over by the time we stopped, and he seemed fine. As for everyone else? They've restored my belief in people for one more day.
The woman in the seat in front of me whipped her head around to see what the commotion was, and then pretty casually said, "Oh, he's having a seizure. Make sure he doesn't hurt himself." She got up and went to him. I glanced back, saw that she was right, and went back to reading the news while somewhat monitoring the situation behind me.
One young man, maybe 30, was speaking to the conductor through the intercom. His voice was stressed, but he was clear and calm. One woman who had been standing by the man when he collapsed was bent down rubbing his back. The other woman, who'd gone down earlier, was talking to him in soothing tones. She explained that the train was stopping soon, that an ambulance was coming, that she was making sure he was okay.
The panic turned to concern. The rest of the train stayed on alert, but there was no more chatter. They were just there, listening to the young man and the woman.
When the train stopped, most people filed off to catch other modes of transportation. The two women stayed with the man even after the medics came. I left to walk the last couple of miles to work.
What struck me was that after the initial fall, no one acted poorly. No one complained about the train being held up. No one talked about the man as if he weren't there. It was a respectful silence while others handled the situation.
I hope the man is okay. The seizure was over by the time we stopped, and he seemed fine. As for everyone else? They've restored my belief in people for one more day.
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