Bangkok Superhero Alert: ‘Garbage Man’ Saving Lives, Warming Hearts

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Good stories happen every day, and here is the proof:

Meet ‘Garbage Man’ –  Dispenser of Trash, Sweeper of Streets, Defender of Earth and Protector of Mom. He comes equipped with Climate-Control Helmet, Grime Eye-scanner, High-visibility Anti-car Body Armor and Nano-broom for Super-fast Cleaning. He is no Ultra Man, Iron Man, Super Man, or any other variety of fictional superhero – he’s real, he’s in Bangkok, and he’s ninth-grader Pornchai “Pon” Sukyod.

Pon came to internet fame in 2013 when pictures of him helping his mother at her street sweeping job went viral. What is, unfortunately, normal about this story, is that Pon’s mother works daily at a low-paying, labor intensive job and that, on one of those days she was struck by a car.

What is truly inspiring about this story, is that young Pon, realizing that life is fleeting and those whom you love can be taken away at any moment, morphed into his own superhero – enter Garbage Man.

Garbage Man, from the depths of his youthful humanity, summons strengths which most adults will never possess and has made it his mission to ease the suffering of his hardworking mother. When the pain gets especially bad, Garbage Man sets aside his Nano-broom and massages ointment into his mother’s aching knees, which have never fully recovered from the accident.

Unashamed, Garbage Man suits up and applies himself to work that many consider an unseemly task, for it is more important than considering his image or what his friends may think of him. For him, it is a matter of life and death.

We all know that a daily commute on the streets of Bangkok is nothing short of tempting fate. But, what we may forget, is that there are silent teams of hardworking people, just like Pon and his mother, who are out there risking their lives to keep our streets clean.

Check out this short film by Thai Life Insurance, telling Pon’s story, and restore your faith in humanity – and, next time you’re on the road, think of Garbage Man and the task upon which he has embarked.

Click to read and share good stories at www.thaigoodstories.com.