Off-duty nurse saves man's life with CPR
A 22-year-old nurse was presented with the Community Lifesaver Award by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a man and saving his life.
The incident happened on July 26 at about 4.15pm.
Ms Wang Weiting was passing through Causeway Point in Woodlands after getting off work when she saw Mr Subahan lying on the ground and foaming at the mouth.
She immediately came to the 55-year-old man's aid and tried to turn him onto his side to clear his airway.
Mr Subahan was unconscious and had no pulse.
Ms Wang then immediately started performing CPR with the help of another bystander.
The two took turns performing CPR on Mr Subahan until he regained consciousness.
SCDF paramedics arrived about eight minutes later and took Mr Subahan to the hospital for treatment.
Ms Wang, who has been a nurse for three years, currently works in the emergency department at Woodlands Health Campus.
She shared with Lianhe Zaobao that she decided to become a nurse when she was in Secondary 2, after her school principal died from liver cancer.
She made a promise at the principal's wake to care for patients and help those in need.
"Actually, you don't have to be a nurse to help people," she said.
"The general public can also lend a helping hand in a crisis, such as preventing a crowd from gathering or getting an automated external defibrillator (AED) to help."
Mr Subahan also attended the award ceremony and thanked Ms Wang in person.
He said that he was diagnosed with heart disease earlier this year and had undergone two surgeries.
At the time of the incident, he was on his way to the hospital for a follow-up appointment when he suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed.
"I was hospitalised for a week," he said. "Ms Wang also visited me in the hospital which touched me deeply."
In addition to the Community Lifesaver Award, Colonel Tan Ngee Hiang, Deputy Commander of 4th SCDF Division, presented the Community First Responder Award to 13 members of the public in recognition of their bravery in helping others.
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