A bride with a heart of care: Keralam doctor pauses wedding to treat catering workers

'It was simply our duty.'

For Dr Shirin Subair, those words sum up a moment that unfolded unexpectedly on one of the most important days of her life.

Dressed as a bride and in the middle of her wedding celebrations in Kannur, the doctor stepped away from the festivities when two catering workers fell ill, providing them with first aid before they could be taken to hospital, if required.

Shirin, a native of Panoor in Kannur, was attending her wedding to Dr Rijaz when someone called her after two women from the catering team became unwell.

One of them had suffered a nosebleed, while the other complained of dizziness and appeared faint.

'Everyone knew I was a doctor, so someone asked me to come and take a look. When I saw the situation, I just did what was needed,' Shirin told a TV channel on Friday.

Without letting the wedding attire or the celebrations get in the way, Shirin immediately attended to the two women.

For the worker with the nosebleed, she asked her to lean forward and firmly pinch the soft part of her nose for 10 to 15 minutes while breathing through her mouth.

The other woman, who was feeling faint, was made to lie down with her legs elevated. Shirin provided the basic first aid and said the woman could then be taken to hospital, if required.

The moment was captured on video and later went viral on social media. Yet, for Shirin, there was nothing extraordinary about what she had done.

'It's definitely not a big deal. If we see someone collapse or faint on the road, it's in our subconscious mind to react. If it's something we can do, we do it right there and then shift them to a hospital,' she said.

Shirin is pursuing her first-year MD in Emergency Medicine at Valluvanad Hospital, Ottapalam.

Her medical training, particularly in emergency care, has taught her to respond quickly when someone needs immediate help.

'These are basic steps to take, giving first aid and then getting them to a hospital,' she said.

With the video drawing widespread attention, Shirin also stressed that basic first-aid awareness should not remain limited to medical professionals.

Knowing how to respond during the crucial first few minutes of an emergency can help until professional medical assistance becomes available.

She also underlined the importance of early CPR, pointing out that delays in providing first aid can reduce a person's chances of survival.

Interestingly, Shirin had not noticed that anyone was recording the incident. She only learned about the video after it began circulating widely.

'I saw it; many people forwarded it to me. But I hadn't noticed anyone recording a video at the time. It was simply our duty, nothing more,' she said.

There was another doctor at the wedding. Shirin's husband, Dr Rijaz, is also pursuing postgraduate medical studies and is specialising in Orthopedics in Andhra Pradesh.

'Emergency specialists tend to have a quicker reflex to react to such situations,' Rijaz said.

What began as an ordinary medical intervention amid wedding celebrations has now become a widely shared reminder of something much bigger: sometimes, helping someone in need can be the most meaningful thing to do, even on your own big day.