Have you ever seen someone faint on the subway before? Well last week that someone was me. I unexpectedly had blood drawn during a trip to the doctor’s office. It was one of the hottest days of the summer, and the 5 express train barely made it one stop before a man turned to me and asked, “Are you okay?” Instead of answering, I passed out.
I awoke to discover that three men carried me off of the train and over to the steps of the Wall Street station. A young man in a suit. A man with a physical handicap. And, the only man who’s name I got, a sweet, middle-aged Italian guy named Vito. Vito was the one who asked if I was okay. He said I turned the color of my crisp white button down work shirt just before giving in to gravity.
All three of the men were kind enough to stay with me until the police came. Since we were in downtown Manhattan, Homeland Security responded. It felt a little funny to have two guys from Homeland Security as babysitters until the paramedics arrived, but they didn’t seem to mind. I guess the 96 degree heat was more of a terror threat that day.
I’ve been feeling guilty about not having time to post this, and even more guilty because I don’t know the names of the other two gentleman who came to my rescue. It was extraordinary that not one, but three people, went out of their way to assist me on a horribly hot day. It was scary, but also very affirming to know that there are so many kind people willing to help a stranger in need. I’m pretty sure I tried to say thank you to each of them before they left, but much of the incident is fuzzy so I’m not sure if those thank yous were real or imagined. I hope they know that I’m extremely grateful to my subway superheroes.
Thank you, and be kind.
Small Acts of Kindness 