(NewsNation) — When Kevin Hines was 19 years old, he jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in a suicide attempt, and miraculously survived. Since then, he has made it his mission to educate and open up conversations about mental health.
If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find it at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 1-800-273-8255. People are available to talk to 24×7.
Hines joined “NewsNation Prime” to share his story, saying if someone had expressed concern for him, he wouldn’t have attempted suicide.
“I was going to the pits of psychosis. I was not well, I was hearing voices in my head telling me I had to die. I just wanted compassion, empathy and someone to care,” Hines told NewsNation.
In his book “Cracked Not Broken,” Hines talks about the moment he jumped, saying he felt instant regret.
“The millisecond my hands left the rail, instantaneous regret from my actions and the absolute recognition that I had just made the greatest mistake of my life, and it was likely too late,” Hines said. “For 99.9% of the people that have leaped off the Golden Gate Bridge in the last 87 years of that bridge being open, it’s been too late.”
When asked what he would have told his 19-year-old self, Hines says every day is a new opportunity for hope.
“Just because you’re in a world of pain today, doesn’t mean you don’t get to have that beautiful tomorrow. But you have to be here to get there in the first place. None of us has cracked the code to immortality, we’re all going to pass away. So give yourself time plus hard work to find hope, which does exist, to be here tomorrow”