In the nick of time: Singaporean woman stops Valorant live stream to save dad's life

Sometimes just a few minutes can make all the difference between life and death.

Influencer and streamer Ng Sher Ren learnt this recently when her dad suddenly collapsed and suffered a heart attack while she was live-streaming a game on Wednesday (Aug 31) at around 9 pm. 

Speaking out about the incident in a TikTok video uploaded on the same day, Ng shared that if she had responded later, her father might not have made it.

"Threw the game but saved my dad's life," she wrote in the captions. 

In the 30-second video, Ng could be seen immersed in an intense round of Valorant, a tactical first-person shooter game. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@sherrsherrng/video/7138142486811266305?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7138142486811266305[/embed]

She was talking to another team player when she heard a sound behind her. She then turned around, took off her headphones and asked "what" in Mandarin. 

When she realised that something was amiss, she told her teammates in a worried voice: "Wait, wait, my father not feeling well," and abruptly left the game.

"I'm sorry if you were my teammates," Ng apologised in the captions. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Ng said that while attending to her father, she realised that he was having difficulties breathing.

She then decided to call for an ambulance and her father was subsequently taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Thankfully, his condition is currently "stable" and he "just got out of ICU yesterday", she said, adding that when the incident took place, there was only her grandmother at home with her. 

In the TikTok captions, Ng said that her father's heart stopped once while he was in the hospital and the doctors had to perform a procedure to clear the blockage in his heart.

"None of us expected it to be a heart attack as he was just telling us that he is feeling unwell," Ng told AsiaOne.

Thought it was food poisoning

She initially thought it was just a case of food poisoning as her father was still able to walk around even though he was in some discomfort. 

"My father is usually a very strong guy and it's rare for him to ask for help," she added.

In the comments section, netizens told her not to apologise for ending the game midway.

As of the time of writing, the video has garnered over 544,700 views and 480 comments. 

Other netizens praised her actions, with one saying that some kids may not respond like how she did since a live game can't be paused. 

Another said that Ng was lucky she managed to hear her father shouting for help and that it would be horrible if she had not ended the game and saw him "lying outside motionless" later.

Some netizens also shared similar harrowing experiences they've had with their parents suffering heart attacks with one adding that they were playing a game at 2 am when their mum suddenly collapsed and called out to her. 

According to the Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF), some of the heart attack symptoms one can look out for include chest pains, palpitations and choking sensations.

If you suspect that someone is having a heart attack, call 995 immediately "even if you are not sure" as "every minute matters", said SHF on its website.

Back in March, a man suspected of having a heart attack crashed into a lamp post in Yishun. 

He was sent to the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital after the incident but unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries and died. 

ALSO READ: What you need to know and do in a heart attack

melissateo@asiaone.com