Finding Mike: Man searching for kind stranger who stopped him jumping off bridge
A man is searching for the kind stranger who persuaded him not to jump off a bridge into the River Thames in 2008.
Jonny Benjamin had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and was struggling to cope when he attempted to commit suicide on London's Waterloo Bridge exactly six years ago, on January 14.
'He was very calm and said "Please don't do this, I've been where you are and you can get better. Let's have a coffee and we can talk about this,"' Jonny said. 'He reminded me of what people do every day so the normality of it was really inviting.'
Jonny changed his mind and agreed to climb back over the railings, where police were waiting to help him. He has since turned his life around and is now a mental health campaigner, but he is desperate to find the man responsible for saving him that day.
'His act of kindness changed my outlook on life and I have thought about him ever since. I want to find this man so I can thank him for what he did. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here today.'
Jonny doesn't know the man's name, but has dubbed his campaign 'Finding Mike' and says the stranger looked to be in his early twenties at the time.
With the help of charity Rethink Mental Illness, Jonny's campaign is gathering pace and he asks anyone who might know anything about the man to contact him.
He is now making a film to spread the message of recovery, which is due to be released in April.
In the meantime, you can help by publicising the Finding Mike campaign on Facebook or Twitter, or by contacting findmike@rethink.org if you have any information.
For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch.
No comments:
Post a Comment