He has reached millions with his story. Her work has also been featured in Smithsonian and shes designed several book covers in her career as a graphic artist. MULTI COLOR on BLACK *SPECIAL DESIGN* - Kevin Hines Incredibly, a sea lion who was swimming nearby kept his body afloat until the Coast Guard rescued him. Altsmans husband was away when she collapsed on the floor, so her quick-thinking pig, LuLu, figured out how to get help. Nobody approached Kevin. Inspiration in the form of Kevin Hines - New Hope Treatment 1. Here are the facts: on September 25th, 2000 due to bipolar disorder and serious psychosis, I jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge. Shortly after, Hines mental health began spiraling. One of the lives Hines has saved belongs to the husband of Lorena Stephens of Massachusetts. He also urges others to be aware of what those around them are going through. Kevin Hines stands on the beach overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. A woman with a German accent did come up to him and asked him to take her picture at the bridge, but she did not mention anything about his tears or ask about his well-being. Then, on September 22, a Friday, Hines girlfriend broke up with him. 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. They likely intended to sell her into a forced marriage. Chad (not his real name) and I dated in high school. We hope you enjoy it and if it can help your cause, you may use it as you deem fit. But as darkness crept in, he knew that he would have to sleep on the cold, damp ground. Why Do People Stay In Abusive Relationships? Less than one percent of them survived but Kevin Hines is among them. . And he spent more than a decade after he recovered lobbying the city of San Francisco to install a suicide net below the pedestrian walkway to prevent others from dying as he intended in the water below. When Jo Ann Altsman suffered a heart attack, help came just in time in the form of a pot-bellied pig. 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. Kevin Hines Jumped Off the Golden Gate Bridge, and Survived - Psycom 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. In 2000, a then-19-year-old Kevin Hines jumped off San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. He is not a licensed clinician, nor does he give medical or psychiatric services. Then, something brushed by my legs, I feared it was a shark come to devour me whole. Miraculously, he survived the 220 ft jump thanks to a series of contributing factors, which included a sea lion keeping him afloat. "Jump now," said the voice in Kevin Hines's head. Four seconds is all it took before Hines hit the water. If even one person asked him if he was okay, he would confess everything and beg them to save his life. Be Here Tomorrow - SEA LION on TEAL. But a man on the bridge whod watched Kevin fall saw what it was. The Sea Lion & The Guy Who Jumped Off The Golden Gate Bridge The National Suicide Prevention Hotline number is: 18002738255. 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!. 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 thought it was too late, I said to myself, 'What have I done, I don't want to die'," says Hines, now 38. "And I did. Cal Fussman's 3-Minute Takeaway. Elated. "', Landmark: By a stroke of luck, a witness saw Mr Hines jump from the vast bridge and alerted the coastguard, Conference: Mr Hines spoke at the New South Wales Police Force Mental Health Intervention Team conference in Sydney, Australia. 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. @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 told the authorities that while her kidnappers had beaten her, the animals had never threatened her. 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With the click of a button it was gone. I dont have the time to supply his full background because its hard to fit a very long story into a two-minute takeaway. "I didn't think I was going to make an impact, I didn't think I was going to help a soul. You can be a conduit for change.. Sea lions are not uncommon in the San Francisco Bay in late summer when the herring spawn, but . The Sea Lion & The Guy Who Jumped Off 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.". kevin hines sea lion picture. Kevin Hines, in Australia to speak at several conferences, was a teenager struggling with mental illness and depression when he jumped off the famous bridge in 2000. Kevin Hines StoryHines is now a public speaker telling others about his experiences. Now, he tours the country as a mental health advocate. 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. [4] Hines threw himself over the rail. Kevin Hines is a suicide survivor after jumping off of the Golde. But the instinct for survival at that moment outweighed the excruciating pain as he sank deeper and deeper into the ever-darkening frigid water. This year's theme was suicide . Maybe she sensed something. He is a best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. [8] ABC News reported Hines began hearing voices in his head telling him to die. Kevin HinesKevin Hines during his high school graduation. Sea Lion Saves Golden Gate Bridge Jumper. The force attended nearly 50,000 mental health incidents last year. Although he lived, Mr Hines almost lost his ability to walk and was saved only by 14 hours of surgery on his back. [6] He has spoken at schools, colleges, and universities to share his story. Its a great song and a beautiful video. Something alive. That we care about you, your life does matter, and that all we want is for you to stay," he says. On September 25, 2000, 19-year-old Kevin Hines leaped from the Golden Gate Bridge, intending to end his life. Kevin Hines, Clinicians and first responders, Part 1 of Seven-Part ago What's the sea lion up to? Cal Fussman's 2-Minute Takeway. Lately,there seems to be quite a bit of debate as to whether or not a sea lion saved my life after I jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempt to end my life. I am privileged to meet every single person along this journey. Thousands have communicated to Hines that his story helped save their lives. Why Do Some People Look Totally Different In Pictures Than In Real Life? Others claim the total is much higher. The creature was later identified as a sea lion by a witness. Pre-laundered to prevent shrinkage. The thoughts in those four seconds, he said, were What have I just done? $10 flat rate shipping & handling - USA ONLY . Back in 2000, Kevin Hines jumped off the golden gate bridge due mental illnesses. Tragically, the boat tipped over and the boy watched as his parents drowned. He has also authored a memoir, Cracked Not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt. On his walk up the pathway, he wept. I dont want to die. The sea lion helped keep Hines afloat until he was rescued by the Coast Guard. Thats when he felt a bump beneath him. Kevin Hines - Wikipedia He urges people to realize suicide is not an answer and that getting treatment for mental illness is a necessity. Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox! Hines is still learning to manage his mental health but is taking things day by day. Hines was also upset by the suicide of his drama teacher. '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". "When I resurfaced I was trying to stay afloat, thinking, 'I am going to drown.' 5 Times Animal Superheroes Rushed In and Saved Human Lives His story was featured in the 2006 film The Bridgeby the film director and producer Eric Steel. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Then, he began listening to the voices in his head, trying to convince him to die. "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. [8], On Monday, September 25, 2000, Hines traveled by bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. Since the bridge opened in 1937, an estimated 2,000 people have done the same. All I wanted to do was reach back to the rail, but it was gone.. Liberal: Using Friendship to Bridge the Political Divide, Psychalive - Psychology for Everyday Life, In a Relationship with a Narcissist? A pod of porpoises was swimming beside him, gently nudging his board toward the shore until he was close to land. 100% Proceeds are donated The American Association of Suicidology for Suicide Prevention Research & Youth Programming. And even though the voices were still there, hed made a pact with himself. This year's theme was suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. 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. The distance from the bridge to the water is the equivalent of a 25-story building. "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'. 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. Sign me, PsychAlive is intended as an educational resource. His lower vertebrae were fractured, his legs werent working, and he propelled himself to the surface using only his arms, gasping for air. Marine animals (dolphins, sea lions) and other creatures have helped save humans and other animals from dangerous situations all over the world. But his body would mend before his psyche. Hines fell about 240 feet in just four seconds. He fell headfirst. Man who survived Golden Gate Bridge jump after being kept afloat by sea lion shares story with NSW Police suicide prevention conference. She quickly led him back to Altsman, and he called for help. He obliged. "At that speech I shook and I cried and I barely got through it and these kids were impacted. But it didnt bite him. Now he is a suicide prevention speaker. For a long time, Kevin didnt know what it was. As he lay crying, he felt a warm, furry body snuggle up to his back. Hines has been featured on CNN,[2] HuffPost,[3] ABC News,[4] Larry King Now,[5] and The Today Show. To those who read this, I say believe it or dont, thats completely up to you. Kevin attempted to take his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. The 4-second fall can be compared to the force of slamming into a concrete wall at 120km/h.If jumpers don't die from impact trauma, they generally die of hypothermia or drowning. How to Get Your Mental Health Checked, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-hines/after-my-suicide-attempt-i-made-this-plan-to-stay-alive-and-well_b_9058776.html. By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with our privacy policy as well as to receiving e-mails from us. One of Hines' major personal protectors is his wife of 12 years, Margaret. Mr Hines still lives with paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, manic highs and depressive lows from bipolar disorder and panic attacks. 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. On September 24, 2000, 19-year old Kevin Hines attempted to take his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. And he didn't. Now, The 37-year-old. "It was the most horrid, emotional, turmoil even I've ever experienced, and I could not control myself.". The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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. "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. Play it now! 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.". The Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Attempt Survivor - All Inclusive With Gallery Kevin Hines We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Narcissistic relationships are formed when one or both partners struggle with a narcissistic personality. That weekend, the voices and hallucinations started and they persisted, telling him, You must die!