ICN 0414H
Murphy's Law at its finest.
We got diverted. On a supposed direct flight to the US, we ended up having to go back to offload a passenger and her husband.
I just had my first ever diversion due to a medical emergency, and I was a part of the team handling it. This wasn’t the first medical emergency I’ve handled, but it was the first one that actually led to something this big.
It was sudden. I wasn’t even technically working that cabin, but since it was my “area,” I had to be involved.
I’m usually not easily fazed at the sight of blood. But this was different. It was an old lady, and she vomited blood (like wine red, not even streaks of it), not once, but thrice. Her husband tried his best to be helpful, but, given his age, he was probably already dazed by the sight of his wife being compromised.
Thank god for the passenger doctor on board that stepped up to the plate and helped us treat her.
When you’re at this job, you kind of assume that with your training, you’d stay on top of things in situations like this. And I think I did for the most part. Documentation-wise, I think we got it all covered, same with passenger safety. We made sure she was fine up until we turned her over to the station’s medical team.
The whole process after landing became a blur, really. We landed at 4am, around the time we’re supposedly already on crew rest, so the exhaustion was kicking in. So once we had the medical team attend to her my brain just started to semi shut down. Semi because I’m still on the clock and we still have a ton of things to take care of after she’s offloaded.
Suddenly I was reminded of the volatility of life. They were just on their way to what I assume was their home, back to their normal. This was just supposed to be a route back, not a pit stop to what I hope is not impending doom.
We don’t get to know what happens to her. That’s not how it works. The last thing we get to know is how she looks and what they think caused all this. I hope she makes it. Dear god I hope she does.
Cleaners are out, the passengers are already on their way to the hospital, and we’re now waiting for clearance to push back.
Nope wait. Flight’s canceled indefinitely. Let me put on my best apologetic face despite the eye bags first.