i was walking to the lecture theatre this morning, when i saw this woman in her thirties gasping and looking obviously ill. there was another woman next to her, whom i recognise was from the physio dept trying to tell her to go to the hopsital just one road away but she refused. apparently she's diabetic and needed an insulin jab. what she never explained was why she was two hundred metres away from a hospital but refused to go in. she screamed and yelled and refused our help, insisting that she would walk across to dover and catch the seventy-four home. a hospital customer service officer tried to calm her but she pushed him away, because she said she hated men.


she proceeded to cross the road and managed to make her way up the steps of the overhead bridge. when the cso again tried to help she punched him. actually whacked him in his face. it was crazy. she was crying and everything, and she was so weak she finally had to sit down. several passers-by also offered assistance, but she flatly turned them down. eventually someone managed to get a whole bag of sweets and she took it. at the same time we convinced her to take a cab home and that we would pay for it.


as it was, the first cab was very unhelpful. fortunately the cab behind was kind enough to take her home. this whole episode lasted half an hour, half of which was spent trying to calm her down, convincing her to take a cab and trying to get her off the overhead bridge. i was really afraid of what she might do on the bridge, with the busy highway right under us.


and i've not felt so helpless in such a long time. you want to help but if someone refuses it although she might faint or be seriously ill, what can you do? it was so frustrating because she was obviously not feeling well and could hardly walk, but she insisted on crossing the road and walking all the way to dover. am i making any sense here? my thoughts are disjointed tonight, but i do know i was rather upset for a while after that, and had to concentrate hard on poker-faced patho prof's lecture to keep my mind off it.


this is the second major incident that seems almost like a sign, reaffirming my beliefs and goals in life. i asked, and got a reply.