This suicidal person "needs to hear what I needed to hear. "I realized I made the greatest mistake of my life.". In a few years, that barrier will be in place. Hines has been featured by CNN,[2] HuffPost,[3] ABC News,[4][13] Larry King Now,[5] The Today Show,[6] BuzzFeed,[14] PBS,[15] 9 news Australia,[16] The New York Post,[17] Time,[18] Business Insider,[19] Newsweek,[20] Forbes,[21] Fox News,[22] Reddit,[23] and other media outlets. Today, Kevin is an award-winning mental health activist, best-selling author, and documentarian. He shares his compelling story of hope . According to the San Francisco Examiner, the safety net that Hines and others have lobbied so hard far is finally under construction. "[11] According to the San Francisco Magazine, he now works as a mental-health advocate.[12]. "I had fallen into such a depression, that I was in this bit of tunnel vision that led me to believe that I had to die. When will we learn to listen? Several of the kids told Hines his talk made a difference and that they received the help they needed. I was actually very happy that morning, he told the Chronicle. Gallery Kevin Hines "At that speech I shook and I cried and I barely got through it and these kids were impacted. It was June in Ethiopia, and a 12-year-old girl was walking home from school when she was attacked and kidnapped by four men. You have spread hope and love to so many. What You Need to Know About Narcissistic Relationships, The Critical Inner Voice That Causes Depression Webinar Resources, How to Succeed in Life Without Really Trying. You cant go back! Its OK! he thought. Kevin Hines is now a global speaker on mental health issues and shared his remarkable story at a suicide prevention conference in New South Wales, Australia. He boarded a city bus headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. Hines also co-wrote and starred in the documentary Film, Suicide: The Ripple Effect, which was awarded Best Story at the Nice International Film Festival in Nice, France, in 2018. What no one knew was that Tegretol was also working in the background to suppress what were the dramatic mood swings of bipolar disorder, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. Man who survived suicide attempt after being kept afloat by sea lion SUBSCRIBE TO THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV 2. He had gone over the railing head first, but when he regretted his decision, turned himself around to land in the water legs first. In the summer of 2013, Kevin released his bestselling memoir titled Cracked Not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After A Suicide Attempt. He eats a brain-healthy diet; does daily lightbox therapy; meditates and uses music therapy. Mr Hines said he had no intention of ever talking about his experience, and that he was embarrassed and extremely sad. She quickly led him back to Altsman, and he called for help. Hines leaped over a rail on the Golden Gate Bridge in September of 2000 and began a freefall that would reach 75 miles per hour on impact. But how many of you thought, Really? The instant regret of jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge did not result in instant mental health recovery once Hines survived. Kevin Hines- Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Jumper Saved by a Sea Lion "I'm one of less than one per cent to have survived that fall," he said. Kevin Hines claims he was saved by a San Francisco Bay SEA LION It gently nudged him to the surface and held him there. Kevin Hines StoryHines is now a public speaker telling others about his experiences. "[The doctor] stayed for another reason. Mr Hines still lives with paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, manic highs and depressive lows from bipolar disorder and panic attacks. Tragically, the boat tipped over and the boy watched as his parents drowned. After leaping, Hines, as described by Time, had instant regret: "When my hands left that railand my legs curled overas soon as I left the bridge, I thought, I dont want to die.". Previously, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health in partnership with Eli Lilly. But Mr Hines said he would have died of hypothermia before the coast guard found him, if a driver by had not seen him jump. With medication and professional help he has managed to reduce his symptoms, including the voices in his head which told him to jump on that day 14 and a half years ago. "He said: 'It haunted me until this day; it was no shark, it was a sea lion and the people above looking down believed it to be keeping you afloat until the coast guard brought a ride behind you.'". In the Year 2000, Kevin attempted to take his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Then, he stood on the bridge and sobbed. In the film, Hines highlights a major mission for which he and many others are fighting: the go-ahead from politicians for the installation of a safety net along the bridge to prevent suicides. Be Here Tomorrow - SEA LION on TEAL. Suicide: The Ripple Effect - Jana Marie Foundation Hines was also upset by the suicide of his drama teacher. How a Sea Lion Saved a Life - psychalive.org Hines is one of only 35 people who have survived.) We are no longer accepting comments on this article. He is currently producing a documentary entitled Suicide: The Ripple Effect. ago What's the sea lion up to? We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. It was a Monday, Kevin Hines recalls. He continued to be tormented, and the hallucinations persisted. I immediately took down his email address and phone number. And he didn't. Now, The 37-year-old. It has a YouTube channel that focuses on mental health. Kevin now travels the world sharing hisstory of hope, healing, and recovery while teaching people of all ages the art of wellness & the ability to survive pain with true resilience. Upon my resurfacing, I bobbed up and down in the frigid waters surrounding me. As he was falling, he realized he didn't want to die. Doctors moved him to a psychiatric unit at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco. Mr Hines had talked about being saved by a sea lion before, including in a 2013 blog post. He obliged. Text STOP to end, HELP for more info. "I never wanted to, when they became so apparent and so overwhelming that's when the thoughts of ending my life came into play and that's when I was on that bridge and the voices were literally screaming in my head, 'you must die jump now'. $30.00 100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton. Kevin showed him that he wasn't alone, Stephens says. But the instinct for survival at that moment outweighed the excruciating pain as he sank deeper and deeper into the ever-darkening frigid water. I was nineteen years old and after leaving the Bridge, my firstthought was that I had made a terrible mistake. Repeatedly, courageous, compassionate animals show us that they dont deserve to be treated as food, clothing, laboratory equipment, performers for our amusement, or pests who are in our way. Why Do People Stay In Abusive Relationships? 152K 2K comments Top Add a Comment Hungerisanillusion 2 yr. ago I'm glad he survived and is helping others. 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Since the bridge opened in 1937, an estimated 2,000 people have done the same. Nobody approached Kevin. A man in a Coast Guard uniform laid him down on a stretcher. (Editor's note: Since 1937 approximately 1,800 people have ended their lives by jumping from this iconic bridge. A pod of porpoises was swimming beside him, gently nudging his board toward the shore until he was close to land. San Francisco bridge jumper says sea lion saved him . [4] Hines threw himself over the rail. Just then, a woman with blonde, curly hair and sunglasses approached him. Mr Hines says he is one of just 34 survivors of falls from the Golden Gate Bridge, which rises high above the San Francisco Bay, and the only one to become a mental health campaigner. He has visited mental hospitals several times since his jump. The couple met 14 years ago during Hines third involuntary stay in a psychiatric hospital. Kevin Hines- Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Jumper Saved by a Sea Lion I wish I said to my father that morning, Am I a burden to you? Because he would have said, No. I wish I said to my dad, Im thinking about suicide, because he would have said, Im not letting you go,' Hines said. As Hines landed after the freefall, he shattered and crushed three vertebrae. "The thing that changed my life forever," he says of the meeting. Kevins will to live and stay mentally well has inspired people worldwide. Hines, 33, is now a mental health worker who shares his story of mental illness and depression at events around the world, hoping to prevent other suicide attempts. The change in my husband since hearing Kevin speak is nothing short of a miracle. But immediately after the four-second fall there was another, more incredible miracle. Kevin Hines is a storyteller. He also has bipolar disorder. After leaping, Hines instantly felt regret. Apparently, this is a pattern among many people contemplating suicide. companion animals who saved their humans lives, pride of lions heard her plaintive cries and rushed in, Dick Van Dyke revealed to Craig Ferguson that a pod of porpoises saved his life, help came just in time in the form of a pot-bellied pig, three beavers had curled up beside him and kept him from freezing to death. However, this marine animal (whatever it was) just circled beneath me, bumping me up. He shares his story of how he personally rose above the statistics and is now living mentally well, as he believes you can too. Text UGLY to 73822 to tell UGGs to choose vegan materials and stop supporting the mutilation and violent killing of sheep! His message today is that for those with suicidal thoughts, there is another option. He was the 26 th of the 39 people who plunged into the frigid water that Fall who survived. LuLu squeezed her 150-pound body through the dog door, cutting her stomach as she shoved herself through. Many factors contributed to his miraculous survival including a sea lion which kept him afloat until the Coast Guard arrived. These situations are incredibly complex and Kevin & the team are not qualified clinicians. "I talked to 120 kids and two weeks later I got 120 letters in return and the letters were amazing, I read every one. Kevin Hines Jumped Off the Golden Gate Bridge, and Survived - Psycom "I think the message is very, very simple: you don't have to die this way. Emotional: Mental health campaigner Kevin Hines told a conference yesterday how he survived a suicide attempt nearly 15 years ago - because a sea lion circled under him and kept him afloat. He miraculous survived because a sea lion was bumping him up and kept his head above water. Hines says that Margaret plays a big role in keeping him mentally stable. Sobbing, he tried walking toward a town. As a young surfer enjoying the waves off the coast of Virginia, he had lain on his board relaxing and fallen asleep. 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"My goal is to try to instill hope in at least one individual," Hines says, "so that one individual says, 'Maybe I can stay here, maybe there are tools to fight this.'" All the great iconic animals in the world are endangered, this is us doing our part to spread the word. Four seconds is all it took before Hines hit the water.