"Be here tomorrow" -- Survivor of suicide attempt delivers message of hope at Sauk

Sep. 18--DIXON -- Just 4 seconds pass between a leap from the Golden Gate Bridge to the waters of the San Francisco Bay.

Kevin Hines experienced that feeling as a 19-year-old struggling with bipolar disorder in 2000. Those final seconds of life, or so he was led to believe, instantly became filled with regret. It is something he doesn't want others to experience.

Hines, 38, of California, who survived his suicide attempt, is on a mission to spread the word about suicide prevention and positive mental health. He spoke to about a full crowd of about 250 people Tuesday evening in the Jerry Mathis Theater at Sauk Valley Community College.

"You are human beings, and you deserve to be here until your natural end," Hines said. "Don't learn the hard way like I did. I made life's greatest mistake by jumping off of that bridge. In doing so, it was an instantaneous regret of my actions. It was too late."

Hines is one of only 36 people to have survived suicide attempts from the Golden Gate Bridge, out of about 1,600 since it was built in 1937. He broke three vertebrae and fought off a sea lion before the Coast Guard rescued him. He wrote about his experience in 2013 with the best-selling "Cracked Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt," and produced a 2018 documentary, "Suicide: The Ripple Effect."

Hines shared experiences growing up in a tough childhood, the loss of his drama teacher, first psychologist, and a high school classmate all due to suicide, and the mental battles he faces each day in maintaining a positive life.

Now he travels around the world through his work with the Kevin and Margaret Hines Foundation, and has been the recipient of numerous awards for his messages.

"I get to be here, and getting to be here, I believe that no matter what pain I am in constantly, is a privilege and a gift," he said.

Carissa Simester, 31, of Rock Falls thought the presentation was very resourceful and informative.

"He's a hope healer," she said. "He's doing a lot to prevent suicides, it doesn't matter what age."

The struggles aren't just mental. Hines continues to deal with back pain, and was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a rare skin disorder, 2 years ago. It felt like knives and needles were going through his body all day for 30 months. It was a new challenge, and admittedly a harder one than all he had gone through.

"I never wanted to die when I jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, I just believed I had to," Hines said, "but when the pain was in my skin ... I wanted to die every moment.

"Did I buckle," he asked the audience.

"No!"

"Did I fold?"

"No!"

"Did I give in?"

"No!"

"I fought the pain to thrive with you today. I want you to find hope in the darkest of your tunnels. Find light at the end of that tunnel, and recognize that if you don't see it, you just ain't walked far enough to reach it."

Hines' visit was supported through an Illinois State Opioid Targeted Response Grant given to Sinnissippi Centers.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. There were more than 47,000 suicides out of 1.4 million attempts in 2017.

"Keep moving forward," Hines said. "If you can't walk, crawl. If you can't crawl, hope.

"Believe."

Find help

Kevin Hines realized that suicide didn't solve the problems he had as a 19-year-old struggling with bipolar disorder, and now he is spreading the message to help prevent suicides and successfully battle depression.

Go to kevinhinesstory.com or find Hines on Twitter (@KevinHinesStory) and Facebook (Kevin Hines Story).

If you are struggling with mental health concerns or having thoughts of harming yourself, call Sinnissippi Centers crisis line at 800-242-7642 for help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

___

(c)2019 the Daily Gazette (Sterling, Ill.)

Visit the Daily Gazette (Sterling, Ill.) at www.saukvalley.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.