As a child, I’ve always had a thing for superheroes.
“Superheroes are so cool! I want to be like them!”
And I’ll play with my Superman and Batman figurines, make them fly through the sky and end the night with an inevitable kiss.
“Too bad they don’t exist in real life, though,” I thought sadly, as I placed the figurines atop each other.
“Why?” I remember thinking.
Now that I’m grown up, however, my perception of the world has changed. Yes, superheroes might only be possible on-screen, but the fact is; in this world…
There are actual heroes.
Actual everyday heroes, like Mr Mohamed Ferdaus Mohamed Yusoff.
Always wanted a Singaporean version of Captain America?
I think we’ve found him, heroics-for-heroics.
Boy Fell Off Escalator & SBS Transit Staff Grabbed on to Him Like a Scene from a Movie
It happened in an instant.
A boy, who looked to be around five years old, had entered Sixth Avenue MRT station with his mother, who was pushing a stroller with another child.
As the woman walked along the platform, the child, following behind, paused to play with the handrail at the base of the upward-moving escalator. He then held onto the handrail as it moved upwards.
Not a good idea, boy.
The next instant, the boy found himself hanging off the escalator, with one arm and one leg dangling in thin air.
Disastrous, and the bystanders knew it. However, they could only stand still, dumbfounded at the horrific scene that was unfolding before them.
And then a hero emerged:
Mr Mohamed Ferdaus Mohamed Yusoff.
Upon hearing the commotion, he reportedly turned and saw the boy in distress.
The next thing he knew, he had dropped his work pouch and was bolting up the escalator steps, two to three steps at a time. Within six seconds, he had reached the boy near the top.
It normally takes around 20 seconds for a person standing still to reach the top.
Grabbing hold of the little boy, the station employee then hauled him over the handrail. But it wasn’t as smooth as he would’ve liked, as he lost his balance and fell on the steps of the moving escalator, hurting his knee in the process. Despite the setback, however, Mr Ferdaus held the boy tight as he hit the emergency stop button.
After the boy was safe, he hastily went down the steps to his mother, who looked shaken. She then hugged him repeatedly before the family boarded a train and left.
Great Courage And Selflessness
The next day, Mr Ferdaus, a senior assistant station manager with SBS Transit, went on medical leave, and only returned to work yesterday (26 September 2019).
And even then, he was walking with a slight limp, as his knee was bruised and slightly swollen from the fall.
But if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that his efforts have certainly not gone to waste.
“The staff member was so heroic, everyone else just stood dumbfounded,” an eyewitness told Straits Times.
And SBS Transit is certainly aware of it too.
“SBS Transit is very proud of Ferdaus,” said senior vice-president of corporate communications Tammy Tan. “He had displayed great courage and selflessness, and his swift action averted what could have been a very tragic accident.
“We will be commending him for his heroism.”
But the best part of it all? It merely seems to be another day of good work for Mr Ferdaus.
“I can understand how the mum must have been feeling at that moment,” said Mr Ferdaus, who is married with a son, 19, and a daughter, 13.
“I was just doing what I could. If it is to save a life, like in this case, I will save a life.”
…
Captain America Singapore, is that you?
Heroes
Too often, we gape at the big screen and go, “Oh wow, those superheroes are so cool! If only we can be like them!”
But here’s the thing. Superheroes are fake…
And heroes are real.
And really, you don’t even have to join the Police Force or listen to heroic soundtracks on Youtube for 30 hours in order to be a hero. After all, as Mr Ferdaus showed us…
Anyone can be a hero, as long as you possess the right traits, determination…
And heroism.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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