Filipino domestic helper walks barefoot on glass to save toddler after shower door shatters on him

Thor aside, this story proves that heroes, or heroines for that matter, don't necessarily wear capes.

When a Singapore toddler's forceful action caused a glass door in a bathroom to shatter all around him, a domestic helper bravely walked over the glass shards without thinking twice, to save him.

And he wasn't even her charge.

The Filipino domestic worker named Sheryl's quick action and selflessness prevented the toddler - who suffered minor cuts from the falling glass - from hurting himself further.

Photos uploaded by the mum of the aftermath showed blood on the crying boy's face and bloodstains on his T-shirt.

The sequence of events was told by the mother through a Facebook post on Thursday (May 4). It is not clear when the incident took place. 

Said the mum, Peirong: "Here's a frightening yet touching story on how a Filipino helper Sheryl saved my toddler from an incident which took place at my sister's house. I am grateful to her quick-witted and selfless act who prevented my son from further injuring himself."

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/peirong.nohsslw/posts/10155585487004226[/embed]

According to Peirong, her son had just used the toilet and as their helper Jena was flushing the bowl, he pulled on the tempered glass sliding door a little too hard, causing it to shatter on top of him. The bathroom floor was consequently "covered with thousands of tiny glass shards".

Tempered glass - which is used to make vehicle windshields and many home furnishing products - is designed to shatter into tiny pieces instead of large shards when broken, therefore making it less likely to cause serious injury.

To her horror, Peirong also saw blood streaming down her son's face.

Inevitably, the frightened boy's first instinct was to step out from the scene, but Sheryl, who was her sister's helper, shouted at him to stop moving.

Sheryl then told Jena to carry him up, but she was in a state of shock.

"Without a second thought, Sheryl walked into the toilet with her barefoot to carry him out.

"She could have dangerously hurt herself but I was completely touched by her braveness and selfless act," said Peirong in the post, adding: "She is a remarkable person who always puts others before herself."

For her brave act, Sheryl was thankfully unharmed, and her son was found to suffer just minor cuts on his head after he was sent to hospital. 

As previous cases have shown, things could have been much, much worse.

candicec@sph.com.sg