A woman from abroad, a blonde from Europe, approached Kevin and said: Vill you take my picture?. 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. The change in my husband since hearing Kevin speak is nothing short of a miracle. "I got out of the hospital, went into a psych ward, got out of the psych ward," he said. Play it now! Miraculously, I survived and despite my severe injuries, I was able to reach the surface of the water. Now, he's seeing his wish for a safety net come true", "He jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge . The net has started construction and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2023. It wasnt until 18 months after his ordeal that a priest helped him realize that his story of survival would help many others if he chose to share it. This is how it all started.". Thats when Kevin catapulted himself over the bridge. "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.". "I was suffering mentally with bipolar disorder, type one psychotic features and I was hearing voices that were telling me I was useless, worthless, not meant for this world and a burden to all who loved me none of that was true but I couldn't see it," he said. According to the San Francisco Examiner, the safety net that Hines and others have lobbied so hard far is finally under construction. Mr Hines said the theory was perfectly plausible. That barrier is now underway and scheduled for completion in 2023. The moment his fingers left the railing, he felt instant regret. Additionally, Hines takes medication and sees a therapist. Then, something brushed by my legs, I feared it was a shark come to devour me whole. Back in 2000, Kevin Hines jumped off the golden gate bridge due mental illnesses. 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.". In that time, he had fleeting thoughts intertwined with a flood of emotion. 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. Theyre looking for one person to pay attention. Inside Kevin Hines Miraculous Survival After Jumping Off The Golden Gate Bridge. Kevin believes in the power of the human spirit and in the fact that you can find the ability to live mentally well. He had gone over the railing head first, but when he regretted his decision, turned himself around to land in the water legs first. Previously, he was a board member of the Northern California Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and was a two-term member of San Franciscos Mental Health Board. 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. With the click of a button it was gone. Hines contemplated not jumping, reasoning that if any person showed that they cared about him, he would not commit suicide. Mental-health advocate, author, and speaker Kevin Hines owes his life and career to a sea lion. He also has bipolar disorder. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. A female police officer and male bridge workers passed him without stopping. He survived the fall, only. 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. Incredibly, a sea lion who was swimming nearby kept his body afloat until the Coast Guard rescued him. A film that saves lives. He shares his compelling story of hope . Kevin showed him that he wasn't alone, Stephens says. Oh, I forgot to mention that Kevin has asthma. Hines helps suicidal people he has met in one-on-one situationsthrough social media and at his speeches. [6] He has spoken at schools, colleges, and universities to share his story. 'I was on a show for suicide prevention and I mentioned that I thought there was this shark on this show and a man wrote into the show and he said, "Kevin, I'm so very glad you're alive, I was less than two feet away from you when you jumped". 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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. Kevin Hines StoryKevin Hines stands on the beach overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Why Do People Stay In Abusive Relationships? 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. "I think the message is very, very simple: you don't have to die this way. The comments below have been moderated in advance. 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. That is one of the things that turned my life around.". All of our shop proceeds will be donated to Zero Suicide International. 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. 'However, I know that it was a sea lion and it is not a statistic anomaly. He urges people to realize suicide is not an answer and that getting treatment for mental illness is a necessity. Kevin Hines is a storyteller. "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.'" 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Hines is now a public speaker telling others about his experiences. At age 10, Hines had an epileptic attack, and doctors prescribed him a medication called Tegretol. "I realized I made the greatest mistake of my life.". KTVU FOX 2 SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - Almost 20 years ago, Kevin Hines jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. Zero Suicide is a Transformational Framework for Health and Behavioral Health Care Systems He opened his email, clicked a button and out popped a picture from birdseye view of my near lifeless body laying atop a circling sea lion. When Jo Ann Altsman suffered a heart attack, help came just in time in the form of a pot-bellied pig. Hines has been featured on CNN,[2] HuffPost,[3] ABC News,[4] Larry King Now,[5] and The Today Show. A sea lion, Hines says, kept pushing him above the water's surface until the Coast Guard rescued him. She cares.. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. @KevinHines would be dead right now had a SEA LION not saved his life after he jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge.Almost 2,000 people have committed suicide by jumping off the second most-used suicide site in the world. She quickly led him back to Altsman, and he called for help. Doctors moved him to a psychiatric unit at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco. The medication seemed to keep his epilepsy under control, so well in fact, that after six years with no episodes, doctors took him off it. He spoke yesterday as part of the NSW Police Force Mental Health Intervention Team conference in Sydney. [1] His story gained major media coverage and he has since become a motivational speaker and advocate for suicide prevention. What Was It Like To Be Shipped To A Concentration Camp? "As my father used to tell me, nothing good ever came without hard work. $10 flat rate shipping & handling - USA ONLY . He is a best selling author, global public speaker, and award winning documentary filmmaker. Breaking through the waters surface seemed like a hallucination all its own. Then, he stood on the bridge and sobbed. Pre-laundered to prevent shrinkage. I came in, he performed a 14-hour surgery on my back giving me the ability to continue to be able to walk," Mr Hines said. The family no longer eats pigs. They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest, said Sergeant Wondmu Wedaj. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Less than one percent of them survived but Kevin Hines is among them. He obliged. The problem, I unknowingly gave him my fathers email address. Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Survivor Kevin Hines Shares Why He Jumped And Wanted To End His Lifehttps://youtu.be/_qShMbzjggY10 Life-Changing Tips To Boost Your Memory From The World's Best Brain Coach Jim Kwik! Kevin Hines during his high school graduation. He is a best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. As Hines landed after the freefall, he shattered and crushed three vertebrae. 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 . When he was 19, Hines jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. He hit the water feet first, traveling at an estimated 75 miles per hour. . When will we learn to listen? It has a YouTube channel that focuses on mental health. Kevin Hines went to the Walgreens near his college to purchase his last breakfast; Starbursts and Skittles. 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". He continues his policy work as an Ambassador to the National Council for Behavioral Health. On his walk up the pathway, he wept. Although he lived, Mr Hines almost lost his ability to walk and was saved only by 14 hours of surgery on his back. Hines plunged downward into the calm water. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Confessions of a Man Who Has Never Had Sex With His Wife. After reading about the incredible survival story of Kevin Hines, learn about Alfred Loewenstein, the multi-millionaire who fell out of his own airplane. He is not a licensed clinician, nor does he give medical or psychiatric services. 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. I tried to punch it thinking it might bite me. 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. "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. I am privileged to meet every single person along this journey. I was going to end the pain.. 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. 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. He fell headfirst. Kevin took the photos and returned the camera. He survived but was severely injured and trying to stay afloat in the churning, frigid water. The picture was grotesque, morbid and yet, at the very same time, beautiful. 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. When Hines saw the first parts of the net, he wept and said, "This is one of the most special days of my life". Known as a suicide barrier, the net is set to be completed in January 2021. The first video in a seven-part series featuring Kevin Hines discussing The Art of Wellness. ago What's the sea lion up to? Mental-health advocate, author, and speaker Kevin Hines owes his life and career to a sea lion.