In ancient Rome, saving the life of a Roman citizen was awarded the empire's highest honor - a golden crown called the “corona civica.” In today's world, saving someone's life certainly makes you a hero, earning you glory, gratitude, and sometimes even the loss of your favorite headphones.
Well, at least the narrator of our story today, after saving another passenger's life on a long trans-Pacific flight, was undoubtedly happy that their professional skills proved life-saving in a critical situation. But then they realized that the price of saving another person’s life was their new headphones.
More info: Reddit
Literally anything bad can occur to a person while on a flight, and some serious health issues are among these problems as well
Image credits: jcomp / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post is an MD anesthesiologist, and recently they had to help another passenger after she lost consciousness during the trans-Pacific flight
Image credits: armmypicca / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author literally saved her life and successfully gave her over to airport paramedics after landing
Image credits: Đức Trịnh / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
However, after getting deplaned, the author found out about the loss of their new Bose headphones
Image credits: Darth_Poopie
The author contacted the airline, but they refused to give them back since they didn't remember the serial number
So, the Original poster (OP) is an MD anesthesiologist, and they were on a trans-Pacific flight when one of the passengers suddenly lost consciousness and stopped breathing. The author and a couple of emergency medical technicians wasted no time in carrying her to the emergency exit aisle and performing lifesaving measures on her.
Luckily, the lady regained consciousness, and 2.5 hours later, the author safely handed her over to the airport paramedics. In the chaos surrounding the incident, the original poster had no time to calmly pack their belongings, so only after deplaning did they discover they'd forgotten their new Bose headphones under their seat.
Well, the moment had already passed, but the author didn't lose hope. They contacted the airline, explained the problem, and asked for the headphones to be returned. It's not that the author couldn't buy new ones - they just wanted it back. Because the OP admits that if they hadn't jumped out of their seat, rushing to the passenger who lost consciousness, this loss wouldn’t have occurred.
But the airline, alas, refused. According to the employee who spoke with the author, they had several pairs of Bose headphones they had found, and since the original poster couldn't remember the serial number, they weren't allowed to send them the headphones, per work instructions. So the author decided to take this online, just to vent about it.
Image credits: wavebreak media / Freepik (not the actual photo)
According to statistics published by JAMA Network Open, the estimated rate of in-flight medical events was one per 212 flights, and diversion occurred in 1.7% of cases. Considering that global airline passenger traffic was approximately 5B people per year in 2025, even such small figures add up to a very large number. Fortunately, medics are also very common on board, and their presence really makes a difference.
For example, this study by Duke Health shows that medical volunteers assisted with around a third of all passenger health issues. "It's humbling to practice medicine in the air," Duke Health quotes Alexandre Rotta, one of the researchers. "You're working with limited equipment, no lab tests, and no backup. Even minor issues can become major challenges."
Dr. Rotta himself admits that he became interested in this research topic after being called upon several times to serve as a medical volunteer on flights. Fortunately, everything ended well in this story. Yes, even in terms of the original poster's headphones. Well, they now have a new pair!
It turns out the author's post went viral, and the Bose guys didn't miss the opportunity. They contacted the original poster, and after a brief exchange of information, the author became the owner of brand new headphones. A brilliant PR opportunity for the manufacturer, and a great ending to a story that could’ve ended very badly, don't you think?
However, after the original post went viral, the manufacturer reached out to the author and offered them another pair of headphones for free
