Panic at 35,000 Feet

On my way back to Manila from Munich via Amsterdam passengers on the flight got a scare from an old guy who was a row in front of me. As we entered into Russian airspace this man, who would be in his '60s, suddenly went into some sort of seizure. His seatmates suddenly stood up and the stewards announced on the PA whether or not a doctor was on the plane.

Two doctors, one Chinese-American lady and one Filipino came up along with a Dutch nurse to assist in the emergency. The man seemed to be choking up and couldn't respond to the questions by the doctors how he was feeling and what was wrong. The prospect of landing in Moscow seemed imminent since the situation seemed to be quite serious.

Things calmed down afterwards once the doctors were able to get some tranquilizers (!) from the first aid kit. The guy was ok all throughout the flight after that. Turns out that he fell on the ice and hit his head while vacationing.

It was a sobering experience, the effects of my in-flight alcohol immediately cleared up in less than 30 seconds, faster than really bad turbulence during stormy weather.