Jonny Benjamin wants to say "thank you" to the Good Samaritan who talked him out of taking his own life six years ago
A man has launched an Internet campaign to find the kindhearted stranger whostopped him jumping to his death.
Jonny Benjamin, 20, was about to throw himself into the river when a caring passerby talked him around.
Jonny, who suffers from schizoaffective disorder, says this simple act of kindness turned his life around.
He took to Twitter to try and track down the Good Samaritan who he has nicknamed "Mike".
Jonny, who now works as a mental health campaigner, wants to say "thank you" to mystery man.
He said: "His act of kindness changed my outlook on life and I have thought about him ever since.
"I want to find this man so I can thank him for what he did. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be here today."
Jonny went to Waterloo Bridge in London to try and take his own life.
He had climbed over the railings and was about to throw himself into the Thames when the stranger approached him.
The man, a commuter in his early twenties, offered to buy him a coffee.
Jonny said: “He was very calm.
"He said: "Please don’t do this, I’ve been where you are and you can get better. Let’s have a coffee and we can talk about this".
“He reminded me of what people do every day so the normality of it was really inviting.”
Jonny climbed back to safety and was seized by police, he never go to know the stranger's name.
Now, exactly six years after the fateful meeting, Jonny is trying to track down the passerby.
Jonny, who is making a film of his recovery, is being backed by mental health charity Rethink.
If you have any information you can contact findmike@rethink.org
Schizoaffective disorder is a mental illness that affects about 1 in 200 people.
People with the illness have very high or very low moods, and they might lose touch with reality.
For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch.
No comments:
Post a Comment