In that time, he had fleeting thoughts intertwined with a flood of emotion. On his walk up the pathway, he wept. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. He suffered the loss of his drama teacher by suicide. Sign me, PsychAlive is intended as an educational resource. 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. But once he jumped, all he recalls feeling is immediate regret and a will to live. As you can imagine Kevin receives numerous amounts of messages and as much as he wishes he could respond to everyone, it does become difficult. But a man on the bridge whod watched Kevin fall saw what it was. The sea lion helped keep Hines afloat until he was rescued by the Coast Guard. 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. Just then, a woman with blonde, curly hair and sunglasses approached him. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or use their 24/7 Lifeline Crisis Chat. In 2016, Mental Health America awarded Kevin their highest honor, The Clifford W. Beers Award for his efforts to improve the lives of and attitudes toward people with mental illnesses. He was also a spokesperson for the movement to erect a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge, according to CNN. My father was an emotional wreck and he nearly fell out of his chair. A film that saves lives. When he was 19, Hines jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. The instant regret of jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge did not result in instant mental health recovery once Hines survived. She handed Kevin her camera and posed. Marine animals (dolphins, sea lions) and other creatures have helped save humans and other animals from dangerous situations all over the world. Back in 2000, Kevin Hines jumped off the golden gate bridge due mental illnesses. "A story helped them decide to be honest about their pain," says Hines. 1. He has also authored a memoir, Cracked Not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt. Eighteen years ago, on September 25th, a young man named Kevin Hines got on a bus in San Francisco that was headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge. When the bad feelings return, Hines says, "I always tell someone who loves me and who cares about me and who empathizes with me," he says. Maybe she didnt. Thousands have communicated to Hines that his story helped save their lives. But the instinct for survival at that moment outweighed the excruciating pain as he sank deeper and deeper into the ever-darkening frigid water. Mr Hines said he never intended to tell his story because he was 'embarrassed', but changed his mind after a life-affirming talk to 120 students, many of whom had suicidal thoughts. Wikimedia CommonsThe Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. With temperatures in the bay's waters as low as 12C, Mr Hines could have died of hypothermia had a witness not seen him jump and raised the alarm. Two words showed something was wrong with the system, After centuries of Murdaugh rule in the Deep South, the family's power ends with a life sentence for murder, Flooding in southern Malaysia forces 40,000 people to flee homes, When Daniel picked up a dropped box on a busy road, he had no idea it would lead to the 'best present ever', Plans to redevelop 'eyesore' on prime riverside land fall apart as billionaires exit, Labor's pledge for mega koala park in south-west Sydney welcomed by conservation groups, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor, dies aged 61. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. 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. The first video in a seven-part series featuring Kevin Hines discussing The Art of Wellness. "I'm now in a back brace and a [using a] cane, at church with my father and the priest I'd known all my life comes out and says 'come and talk to our students on Good Friday'," he said. Kevin Hines, his presentations and his websites do not offer personal medical, or mental health services or advice. Known as a suicide barrier, the net is set to be completed in January 2021. He urges anyone who sees someone suffering and upset, like he was that day on the Golden Gate Bridge, or whom they suspect may be having suicidal thoughts, to reach out. The thoughts in those four seconds, he said, were What have I just done? On September 24, 2000, 19-year old Kevin Hines attempted to take his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. When Hines saw the first parts of the net, he wept and said, "This is one of the most special days of my life". In 2000, Kevin Hines jumped off the golden gate bridge due mental illnesses. A fall like that is akin to landing on concrete. A man who survived a suicide leap from the Golden Gate Bridge has told in detail how he was saved by a sea lion which kept him afloat until the coastguard arrived. John Kevin Hines (born August 30, 1981) is an American suicide prevention speaker who attempted suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. John Kevin Hines (born August 30, 1981) is an American suicide prevention speaker who attempted suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Here Are Ways To Prevent It", "r/books - Suicide survivor at Golden Gate Bridge (book by Kevin Hines)", "Best Story | Nice IFF 2018 Film Fest International", "Honoring Kevin Hines: "Mental Health Champion" Awardee - Young Minds Advocacy", "NoStigmas to host 'Celebrate Life' wellness fair Sept. 10 in Chicago", "Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients The Grahams & Kevin Hines Featured at National Council Conference", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kevin_Hines&oldid=1136207996, Surviving a suicide attempt by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000, Young Minds Advocacy: Mental Health Champion, National Council Community Behavioral Healthcare: Lifetime Achievement Award, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 07:18. Back in 2000, Kevin Hines jumped off the golden gate bridge due mental illnesses. A female police officer and male bridge workers passed him without stopping. Hines is now a public speaker telling others about his experiences. So there he was, 19 years old, sitting on that bus, crying, and hoping that one person would notice his tears, approach him and ask: If one person approached him, he decided, he wouldnt go through with it. This depression quiz is based on the Depression Screening Test developed by Ivan K. Goldberg, MD, the founder of Psycom who was also a renowned psychiatrist. "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. A man named Kevin Hines, who survived a jump off the Golden Gate Bridge on Sept. 25, 2000, recently came to Philadelphia to speak to university students. Mr Hines had talked about being saved by a sea lion before, including in a 2013 blog post. When will we learn to listen? Four seconds is all it took before Hines hit the water. The net has started construction and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2023. [10], The New York Post reported: "Now Hines, whowhen he leapthad recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, tells his story to at-risk groups around the nation, urging people to get treatment for mental illness and helping them realize that suicide is not the answer. Hines has been featured on CNN,[2] HuffPost,[3] ABC News,[4] Larry King Now,[5] and The Today Show. His compelling story has touched diverse, global audiences within colleges and universities, high schools, corporations, clergy, military, clinicians, health and medical communities, law enforcement organizations, and various industries. Kevin Hines went to the Walgreens near his college to purchase his last breakfast; Starbursts and Skittles. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. Yes it may be hard for the average skeptic to believe, but dont take my word for it Call the old producers and staff of ABCs Primetime with John Quinones. You see, I did not know that the creature was a sea lion, not a shark until I was featured on that show due to my work in suicide prevention and mental health. Cherish it always.". I was going to end the pain.. 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. and lived! "At that speech I shook and I cried and I barely got through it and these kids were impacted. [9] He turned himself around to land in the water legs first. But as darkness crept in, he knew that he would have to sleep on the cold, damp ground. After reading about the incredible survival story of Kevin Hines, learn about Alfred Loewenstein, the multi-millionaire who fell out of his own airplane. I was compelled to die.". He miraculous survived because a sea lion was bumping him up and kept his head above water. If you see someone in pain, its your duty to walk up and engage and just try to get them to open up to you and try to share what is going on in their mind. [24], Hines's mission, through his Kevin and Margaret Hines Foundation, is to provide mental health education and suicide prevention information through worldwide public speaking engagements, research initiatives. Inside Kevin Hines Miraculous Survival After Jumping Off The Golden Gate Bridge. That one person can stop them. A pod of porpoises was swimming beside him, gently nudging his board toward the shore until he was close to land. Man who survived Golden Gate Bridge jump after being kept afloat by sea lion shares story with NSW Police suicide prevention conference. He survived. 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. A man who survived a suicide attempt off San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and was kept afloat by a sea lion has relayed his story to a NSW Police suicide prevention conference. What Was It Like To Be Shipped To A Concentration Camp? Hines never wants anyone to experience what he did almost 18 years ago when he took a bus to the bridge with voices in his head telling him "You must die, jump now," he recalls. 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. . After he surfaced, he felt a creature nudging his body which was a sea lion helping to keep Hines afloat until he was rescued by the Coast Guard. Current subscribers: You will continue to receive e-mail unless you explicitly opt out by clicking, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A sea lion circled under him, bumping him up to the surface of the water and toward the shore. Thats when he felt a bump beneath him. I tried to punch it thinking it might bite me. Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox! He fought to get a barrier constructed under the bridge to deter people from jumping. Temperatures had dipped below freezing during the night. That barrier is now underway and scheduled for completion in 2023. Mental-health advocate, author, and speaker Kevin Hines owes his life and career to a sea lion. One of Hines' major personal protectors is his wife of 12 years, Margaret. However, I know that it was a sea lion and it is not a statistic anomaly. He is not a licensed clinician, nor does he give medical or psychiatric services. He is a best selling author, global public speaker, and award winning documentary filmmaker. In the summer of 2013, Kevin released his bestselling memoir titled Cracked Not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After A Suicide Attempt. The family no longer eats pigs. All of our shop proceeds will be donated to Zero Suicide International. This is how it all started.". his presentations and sites express the truth about his personal experience with having a very severe mental disease. "[The doctor] stayed for another reason. He obliged. 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He now works daily, and diligently, to manage continued symptoms that can include depression and hearing voices. Miraculously, he survived the 220 ft jump thanks to a series of contributing factors, which included a sea lion keeping him afloat. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, 'He is NOT a threat': Mental health advocate DEFENDS 6'6" thug, 17, who had to be dragged off unconscious female teaching aide who he knocked out for confiscating his Nintendo Switch, 'Are you a family annihilator, Mr Murdaugh?' Why Do People Stay In Abusive Relationships? Kevin took the photos and returned the camera. Miraculously, a sea lion kept him afloat until the Coast Guard arrived. Kevin showed him that he wasn't alone, Stephens says. He was conscious the whole way down. Kevin Hines is a storyteller. Kevin has also been awarded by SAMSHA as a Voice Awards Fellow and Award Winner, an Achievement Winner by the US Veterans Affairs and received over 30 U.S. military excellence medals as a civilian. Many factors contributed to his miraculous survival including a sea lion which kept him afloat until the Coast Guard arrived. Cal Fussman's 3-Minute Takeaway. Be Here Tomorrow - SEA LION on TEAL. Less than one percent of them survived but Kevin Hines is among them. In 2000, a then-19-year-old Kevin Hines jumped off San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Incredibly, a sea lion who was swimming nearby kept his body afloat until the Coast Guard rescued him. Mr Hines still lives with paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, manic highs and depressive lows from bipolar disorder and panic attacks. 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. Apparently, this is a pattern among many people contemplating suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline number is: 18002738255. I dont have the time to supply his full background because its hard to fit a very long story into a two-minute takeaway. He does at least 23 minutes of vigorous exercise each morning, which leads to a better mood. He obliged. He shares his compelling story of hope . The force attended almost 50,000 mental health incidents in 2014 alone, and set up to conference to discuss how the often-misunderstood issue should be tackled. Since the bridge opened in 1937, an estimated 2,000 people have done the same. You can be a conduit for change.. "She called her friend in the coast guard, which is the only reason they arrived to my position within less than the time I [would have] set in hypothermia and drowned.". He wrote: Kevin, I am so glad you are alive as I was standing less than two feet away from you when you jumped. Kevins will to live and stay mentally well has inspired people worldwide. kevin hines sea lion picture. The Ripple Effect cites research that estimates that 115 people will be affected by a single suicide. Hines urges anyone struggling now with suicide ideation, before you take that action, to call 988, the new national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Hines says that Margaret plays a big role in keeping him mentally stable. Doctors who performed Altsmans open-heart surgery told her that she wouldnt have lived another 15 minutes. During that first stay, Hines met a priest who encouraged him to share his story. Lately,there seems to be quite a bit of debate as to whether or not a sea lion saved my life, Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. This book offers a consistently developed set of hypotheses centering around the concept of the, Here you can watch the live recording or view slides from Dr. Lisa Firestones December 6, 2011 Webinar The Critical, All right, so that title is probably a tad misleading. "I realized I made the greatest mistake of my life.". He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: 'I guess you would call it a mammal began swimming beneath me and I'm thinking, "Oh man, a shark is about to devour me". And even though the voices were still there, hed made a pact with himself. Today Kevin is on a mission to help others, starting with a new documentary and a plan to create a Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier net, After Surviving a Bridge Jump, Kevin Hines Helps Others Avoid Suicide, My Dad Died From Depression: Paul McGregor on Rising Male Suicide Rates, https://www.sfexaminer.com/the-city/public-gets-its-first-look-at-golden-gate-bridge-suicide-deterrent-net/, What to Expect From A First Therapy Session, Forgiveness: How to Let Go of Hurt So You Can Feel Better in 11 Steps, Happy Birthday Psycom: The 10 Most Meaningful Advances in Mental Health Since 1996, Am I "Normal"? A week later, with the police in pursuit, the kidnappers were attempting to move her to a new location when a pride of lions heard her plaintive cries and rushed in. U.S. only. That weekend, the voices and hallucinations started and they persisted, telling him, You must die! Kevins goal is to spread a message of how he tried, through dedication and hard work, while following a treatment plan which his doctors, and clinicians set for him: to change his life and how he learned to live mentally well. 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.". 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. After hed surfaced, he felt a creature nudging his body which he initially thought was a shark trying to eat him, and punched at it. My dad was not prepared for, nor would he ever willingly want to see what came through to his inbox. You have spread hope and love to so many. Hines is a storyteller at heart. He also urges others to be aware of what those around them are going through. Text STOP to end, HELP for more info. Somehow mid-fall, Kevin Hines was able to turn his body from a headfirst dive into a sitting position. Kevin Hines now has a metal plate in his spine. Dr. Sanjay Gupta: If you see someone struggling with mental illness, don't turn away CNN Champions of Change. I called Morgan and I asked if he would email me the pictures he took. 2 Gayguymike 1 min. KTVU FOX 2 SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - Almost 20 years ago, Kevin Hines jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. He boarded a city bus headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. Hines hopes that the film motivates people to take charge of their mental health. Eighteen years ago, on September 25th, a young man named Kevin Hines got on a bus in San Francisco that was headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge. "Several of them were actively suicidal, because of that we were able to get them help and it became what it is today and that's just travelling all over the place and trying to help one person in an audience.". And that today is not tomorrow," he said. He also has bipolar disorder. SAFER CARE FOR THOSE AT RISK OF SUICIDE. Kevin became one of only a handful of people to have survived the fall from The Golden Gate Bridge who can still walk and run. Within 12 minutes of the jump, a Coast Guard rescue team got to Kevin and pulled him out of the water. This is one of the few interviews that have brought me to tears because I could relate to Kevins mental health struggles and suicidal thoughts in many ways.Never underestimate the importance of being kind and caring towards others. Since the bridge opened in 1937, an estimated 2,000 people have done the same. But his body would mend before his psyche. Breaking through the waters surface seemed like a hallucination all its own. "[I was] in the water desperately trying to stay alive and stay afloat, [and] I guess you would call it a mammal began swimming beneath me and I'm thinking, 'Oh man, a shark is about to devour me'," he said. Additionally, Hines takes medication and sees a therapist. I immediately took down his email address and phone number. After she turned and walked away, he took three running steps. 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. And by the way it was not a shark (like you mentioned in the TV show) it was a sea lion and I have pictures. Why Do Some People Look Totally Different In Pictures Than In Real Life? The creature was later identified as a sea lion by a witness. [10], American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, "This Guy Jumped Off The Golden Gate Bridge And Survived To Tell His Story", "Funding for Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier approved - CNN", "Second Chances: 'I survived jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge', "This man jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge and lived", "Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado - Free Webinar- Kevin Hines Story: Triumph Over Adversity", "Lethal Beauty / A Survivor's Story: A jumper advocates for a barrier and makes a new life. He has spoken in congressional hearings alongside Patrick Kennedy in support of The Mental Health Parity Bill. To be clear, there are a large number of reporters and speculators who have claimed it was really a seal and even those who have claimed that there was nothing but me in that water, and that I was somehow able to save myself. This suicidal person "needs to hear what I needed to hear. When he woke in the morning, he found that three beavers had curled up beside him and kept him from freezing to death. It came closer and closer and got underneath him. to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way. Doctors surgically repaired Hines' physical injuries and after four weeks, he entered psychiatric care at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco, the first of seven in-patient stays to deal with depression, paranoia, and hallucinations. ABC News reported that Hines began hearing voices in his head telling him to die. The problem, I unknowingly gave him my fathers email address. But trust me: Kevin is intelligent, very well-meaning and he makes the world a better place. She somehow opened the fence gate, walked into the road, and lay down in the middle of traffic. He was hospitalized several times due to suicidal ideations before he able to come to terms with his mental health issues and begin his long road . Others claim the total is much higher. But all animals have the capacity for thought, intuitiveness, empathy, and decision-making, as these animals proved when they stepped in and saved human lives. One man on the bus looked at another, pointed at Kevin with his thumb, and said: What the hell is wrong with that kid?, When the bus stopped, all the other passengers got off and the driver called out: Cmon kid, you gotta go!. When he was 19, Hines jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. Since it was erected in 1937, more than 1700 people are estimated to have jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and just 25 are known to have survived, according to Robert Olson of The Centre for Suicide Prevention in Calgary, Canada. A man in a Coast Guard uniform laid him down on a stretcher. "I'm one of less than one per cent to have survived that fall," he said. On his walk up the pathway, he wept. He has visited mental hospitals several times since his jump. Hines was irritable all the time and hard to control. 'You don't have to die this way.'. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Kevin Hines is a suicide survivor after jumping off of the Golde. "When that happened, I said to my father, 'Dad we have to do this, anyway, anywhere we can.'