In Such Poor Health I Couldn’t Walk As a Stranger Essentially Lifted Me to a Bathroom.

Back when I was my late teens, my morning travel meant taking an packed public transport. The vehicle was always jammed and invariably became standing room only by the time I got on.

During a certain commute, I started experiencing incredibly sick while the vehicle swayed around each corner. I kept telling myself to endure just a little longer before the bus arrived at where I needed to get off, so I could then rush hurriedly for the nearest washroom to vomit.

As we neared the road leading to the destination as it dawned on me I would not be to last. In an instant, it was like a veil came over me. The world became white and really quiet; like someone had turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I will lose consciousness”.

Fortunately, I stood near the front of the bus, so I took a few steps toward the driver and requested that the driver to pull over, telling him I was going to get ill. The driver opened the bus doors and I stumbled out on to the pavement.

My intention was to not get sick before six lanes of traffic, so I forced myself up and endeavored to make my way toward the green space across the road, where I believed I’d at least be able to find some privacy behind a bush to vomit. Yet I must have blacked out. I could feel my physical self, yet I couldn’t walk or see clearly, leading me to start crawling towards the grassy area.

“Everything alright, love?”

Right then, I got scooped up. There was someone holding me and a stranger inquired, “Everything alright, love?” I told this unknown man that I required to vomit. So he virtually supported my weight down into a close-by structure and put me into the female bathroom. He wanted to know if I wanted him to stay with me but I said no.

A few minutes later, I regained my composure sufficiently to sit on the toilet and from outside the door I heard his voice asking, “Are you OK, love? Is there anything you require?” I could not to get up right away but I did succeed to say thank you and after a few more minutes recovered the use of my legs. I got myself home and then spent the following days recovering from what turned out to be a nasty tummy bug.

I never saw that man’s face – merely his legs and the big metal toolbox he had with him – but he saved me, when I was in my weakest state.

Frequently, society can make you guarded, hostile, and combative. His was the sort of gesture that undoes that hardening of the heart. He was proof that humanity’s innate tendency leans toward compassion, a trait I cherish about humanity.