“I saw a lone lady lying on the floor at the platform, and it was just a natural instinct for me to move forward and help her.”

A selfie of Calvin Tan
Source: Calvin Tan

Calvin was on his way to work on 2 April 2024 during rush hour when he saw a commuter had fainted at Holland Village MRT Station. When he reached her, he noticed that she had cold sweats and was unable to respond when he asked if she was alright. Noticing the crowd building around her, he asked the commuters nearby to give her space. He also reassured her that help was on the way, while giving her water to drink.

He explained that it was “simply the right thing to do.” He wanted to provide comfort for her the same way he would have wanted someone to be there for him if he were in her shoes because he “did not see it as any trouble.”

Calvin was later joined by National University of Singapore medical student, Krison. He approached the commuter and asked about her medical history, took her pulse, and checked for any markers of more serious health issues such as a heart attack or stroke. As a medical student, he “felt the responsibility to help.”

A photo of Lynn See
Source: Lynn See

The ambulance was en route when another caring commuter, Lynn, a nurse who was on the way to work also stopped to help. She applied medicated oil and reassured the commuter.

She went on further to share on how the general public can also step forward to help in such cases. Commuters need not have to dwell on questions such as “to help or not to help?”, or “Am I doing the right thing?”. Instead, she thinks that “stepping forward to help is always the right thing to do.” Just like Calvin, Krison, and Lynn, let’s bravely step forward to offer our help to those in need!