Hines On Suicide

I believe in friendliness, or as Merriam Webster states, “the quality of being a friend”.
According to the CDC, suicide rates in teen boys and girls have almost tripled since 2007. Numerous people would relate this to mental illness and argue that the only cure was medication, this is not always the case. Freshman year Kevin Hines shared his story, he had tried to commit suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate bridge but survived. He now spends his time talking to teens about suicide prevention; not only how to stop it but how to help it. His story impacted me to never shy away from offering help, even to a stranger. He emphasized that on the way to the bridge he realized he did not want to die but due to mental illness, the voices telling him he had to were just too loud. He cried on the way to the bridge and for forty-five minutes while walking on the bridge. He said, “I just wanted someone to ask if I was okay”. Hines said if one person had shown interest and been a friend he would not have jumped. …show more content…
I had to completely restart my life and make new relationships, this was the biggest change that had happened in my life so far. I survived that year because of a friend in North Carolina, she supported me through every moment and did not abandon me just because I had moved twelve hours away. Even when I made my first friend in this new town, she was proud of me, not jealous. The relationship we have has helped me grow every day and having her has opened my eyes to ‘real friendship’. We support one another and make each other's lives easier. That is true friendship and I will forever treasure