I'm glad to be alive, says driver
By Daryll Nanayakara
my paper
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2011
He fell down the steps as he attempted to pick up a handful of pickled vegetables a passenger had dropped at the rear exit of his bus in June. It had been raining that afternoon and the floorboard of his vehicle was slippery.
He landed on the steps, hurting his buttocks.
Despite the pain, Mr Jayakumar Rethinasamy, 48, an SMRT bus driver, still took to the wheel of his bus and left the Bukit Merah Bus Interchange to begin his hour-long shift on bus service 176.
About half an hour before he reached the Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange, the pain intensified, but he continued, completing the journey.
A day later, he was warded in the intensive-care unit at the National University Hospital with a deadly form of gangrene that had eaten away at his buttocks and perineum.
His plight was highlighted on the Facebook profile of Mr Ong Ye Kung, the assistant secretary- general of the National Trades Union Congress.
However, some netizens said he was irresponsible. They felt he had endangered the lives of his passengers by choosing to carry on with his shift.
But Mr Jayakumar, who has been with the SMRT for 14 years, brushed aside the remarks with a smile.
"I was not trying to be a hero. They (the netizens) do not know the whole story and the severity of the condition. I assessed the situation and decided that I was still able to carry on and, more importantly, I did not want to inconvenience the 80 passengers on my bus," he said.
Upon completing the journey, he sought approval from his supervisor, who advised him to take a day off to rest at home.
However, the pain became so unbearable the next day that his wife, Madam Saro, called for an ambulance. What happened in between remains a blur, he said, adding that he only remembers waking up in the ICU where his wife, who is a former nurse, and their children, Vanitha, 22, and Premnath, 14, kept vigil, along with other relatives and friends.
Doctors enlightened him on the deadly infection, typically caused by bacterial infection of cuts that are left untreated."They said they had seen nine previous cases, all of whom did not survive," he said.
He was hospitalised for a month, during which he underwent no fewer than eight operations, including a skin graft to repair damaged skin on his buttocks.
Today, he is on a six-month light-duty stint, drawing a monthly salary of about $400 since the accident, a fifth of what he used to earn.
His medical bills were paid for fully by SMRT, he said, politely declining to disclose the full cost of his treatment. It is tough trying to get by, he explained, adding that his savings had been depleted and that he has had to resort to tapping into funds he put aside for his children's education.
There is enough to last him for two months but, in the meantime, there are plans for him to start work in a communications centre providing assistance to fellow bus drivers.
More than six months after the fall, the former army regular still experiences instances of sharp pain when he sits or passes motion. But he remains optimistic. "I'm not affected or angered by what these people are saying online. I am just happy to be alive," he said.
For more my paper stories click here.
By Daryll Nanayakara
my paper
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2011
He fell down the steps as he attempted to pick up a handful of pickled vegetables a passenger had dropped at the rear exit of his bus in June. It had been raining that afternoon and the floorboard of his vehicle was slippery.
He landed on the steps, hurting his buttocks.
Despite the pain, Mr Jayakumar Rethinasamy, 48, an SMRT bus driver, still took to the wheel of his bus and left the Bukit Merah Bus Interchange to begin his hour-long shift on bus service 176.
About half an hour before he reached the Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange, the pain intensified, but he continued, completing the journey.
A day later, he was warded in the intensive-care unit at the National University Hospital with a deadly form of gangrene that had eaten away at his buttocks and perineum.
His plight was highlighted on the Facebook profile of Mr Ong Ye Kung, the assistant secretary- general of the National Trades Union Congress.
However, some netizens said he was irresponsible. They felt he had endangered the lives of his passengers by choosing to carry on with his shift.
But Mr Jayakumar, who has been with the SMRT for 14 years, brushed aside the remarks with a smile.
"I was not trying to be a hero. They (the netizens) do not know the whole story and the severity of the condition. I assessed the situation and decided that I was still able to carry on and, more importantly, I did not want to inconvenience the 80 passengers on my bus," he said.
Upon completing the journey, he sought approval from his supervisor, who advised him to take a day off to rest at home.
However, the pain became so unbearable the next day that his wife, Madam Saro, called for an ambulance. What happened in between remains a blur, he said, adding that he only remembers waking up in the ICU where his wife, who is a former nurse, and their children, Vanitha, 22, and Premnath, 14, kept vigil, along with other relatives and friends.
Doctors enlightened him on the deadly infection, typically caused by bacterial infection of cuts that are left untreated."They said they had seen nine previous cases, all of whom did not survive," he said.
He was hospitalised for a month, during which he underwent no fewer than eight operations, including a skin graft to repair damaged skin on his buttocks.
Today, he is on a six-month light-duty stint, drawing a monthly salary of about $400 since the accident, a fifth of what he used to earn.
His medical bills were paid for fully by SMRT, he said, politely declining to disclose the full cost of his treatment. It is tough trying to get by, he explained, adding that his savings had been depleted and that he has had to resort to tapping into funds he put aside for his children's education.
There is enough to last him for two months but, in the meantime, there are plans for him to start work in a communications centre providing assistance to fellow bus drivers.
More than six months after the fall, the former army regular still experiences instances of sharp pain when he sits or passes motion. But he remains optimistic. "I'm not affected or angered by what these people are saying online. I am just happy to be alive," he said.
For more my paper stories click here.
