Hysterical strength is a theoretically possible phenomenon in which humans get a sudden burst of strength or invincibility in the delirium of life-and-death situations. A common anecdote involves parents lifting vehicles to rescue their children trapped underneath.
In this case, hysterical strength might have been involved — the difference being that the metahuman instincts of a Filipino domestic helper kicked in when an already injured young toddler was in severe danger. A Facebook user who goes by PeiRong recounted in a post about how her son might have suffered potentially fatal injuries if not for a selfless, heroic, helper.
PeiRong had been at her sister’s house, where her domestic helper, Jena, assisted the child to pee in the toilet. But while Jena was flushing the toilet, the child had apparently tried to force open the glass sliding door, causing it to fall and shatter on the toddler.
Bloodied up by the glass, the child tried to walk out, unaware of the shattered glass surrounding him on the floor.
That was when another domestic helper, Sheryl, yelled at the child to stop him from moving any further. Then calmly, she told Jena — said to be in a state of shock — to lift up the child. Without hesitation, Sheryl walked into the shard filled bathroom in her barefoot to carry the boy out.
“She could have dangerously hurt herself but I was completely touched by her braveness and selfless act,” said PeiRong, who added that both Jena and Sheryl came out unharmed. “She is a remarkable person who always put others before herself.”
The child was quickly taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for treatment, where he was found with a few minor cuts on his head. No stitches were required, fortunately, and that could have turned out a lot different if not for Sheryl.
PeiRong concludes her post by advising fellow parents to always pay attention when children are around tempered glass doors.
Tempered glass
Exploding bathroom glass doors are actually pretty common everywhere, thanks to the nature of its material. At times, it could even spontaneously shatter into pieces without much provocation at all.
Shower doors are typically made of tempered glass, which is much safer than the standard plate glass. The glass is specially treated in a way that causes it to crumble into small, granular pieces instead of large shard that could really cut someone up — especially someone who’s butt-naked in the shower (unless you’re a Never Nude, of course).
Still, the itty-bitty glass pieces are sharp enough to cause injury, and it’s fortunate that PeiRong’s son was rescued swiftly. Just earlier this year, a woman sustained cuts on her legs and wrist after a tempered glass door shattered and fell in the bathroom. In 2014, a four-year-old girl needed four stitches for injuries sustained from a toilet glass panel that reportedly exploded without warning.
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