Feeling So Sick Walking Was Impossible When a Man Virtually Carried Me to a Bathroom.

Back when I was 19 years old, my daily commute meant taking an packed public transport. The vehicle was always crowded and would always be without any seats once I got on.

One particular morning, I began feeling quite nauseous as the bus rocked around the bends. I repeatedly told myself to hold on for a few more stops until the bus arrived at where I needed to get off, so I could then sprint quickly for the nearest public restroom to throw up.

As we neared the street towards my stop and I understood I wasn’t going to make it. All of a sudden, it seemed a veil came over me. The world became white and really quiet; as if someone cut the sound. I said to myself, “I am about to pass out”.

Thankfully, I was positioned near the front on the bus, so I took several steps forward and asked the driver to stop, informing him that I was about to be sick. He promptly opened the bus doors and I hurriedly stepped out onto the street.

My intention was to avoid being sick in front of a busy multi-lane road, so I forced myself up and started trying to walk across to the park opposite the street, where I believed it would allow me to discreetly hide among some shrubs to throw up. Yet I likely lost consciousness. I was aware of my body but walking was impossible and my vision was blurry, leading me to start dragging myself toward my intended destination.

“You right, love?”

Right then, I got scooped up. I felt an arm around my waist and a stranger inquired, “Are you okay, dear?” I explained to this mysterious stranger that I had to to be sick. Thus, he practically supported my weight down into a close-by structure and placed me into the female bathroom. He inquired if I needed him to wait for me but I declined.

After a short while, I felt better to the point of sitting on the restroom floor and from the other side of the stall I heard him ask, “Are you feeling better, dear? Can I get you something?” I was incapable to get up at that moment but I was able to say thank you and shortly thereafter regained the function of my feet. I returned home and spent several days healing from which was a nasty tummy bug.

I did not see the stranger’s face – merely his legs along with a sizable steelwork tools container he was carrying – but he helped me, during a time when I was at my most vulnerable.

Many times, life has a way of making you defensive, aggressive and competitive. His was the sort of gesture that undoes that protective shell. He was proof that humanity’s innate tendency leans toward compassion, something I love in other people.