A doctor was brought to tears after a Minnesota state trooper gave her N95 masks instead of a speeding ticket.
Sarosh Ashraf Janjua wrote about the act of kindness in a Facebook post. She was going 85 mph in a 70 mph zone when Trooper Brian Schwartz pulled her over, according to the Star Tribune. Janjua is a doctor who works out of New York but also has substitute duties in Minnesota.
When Schwartz questioned the out-of-state driver’s license, she explained how she is a healthcare worker.
Janjua said Schwartz “quite firmly told me it was very irresponsible of me to be speeding, especially since I would not only take up resources if I got into an accident, but would also not be in a position to help patients.”
“I waited for him to write me a ticket. Instead, he told me he was going to let me off with a warning,” she recounted. That is when the trooper pulled out five N95 masks from his state-issued supply and handed them to her.
“I burst into tears,” she said. “I think he teared up a little as well before wishing me well and walking away.”
“This complete stranger, who owed me nothing and is more on the front lines than I am, shared his precious masks with me, without my even asking,” Janjua continued. “The veil of civilization may be thin, but not all that lies behind it is savage. We are going to be OK.”
The patrol’s chief spokesman, Lt. Gordon Shank, explained that Schwartz had noticed what seemed to used masks in Janjua’s purse, and assuming she was reusing them, decided to offer what he had to help.
“Trooper Schwartz said he heard there was a shortage of personal protective equipment and thought [the doctor] could use the extra masks,” Shank said.
Janjua said that although she worries about her parents, who are self-quarantined in her hometown of Boston, the act of kindness made her feel a little better about how the country is faring during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have to say, illogical as it may seem,” she said, “I have also worried a little less about my parents since I met Trooper Schwartz.”
“I know there are good people like him everywhere,” she added.
