Depressive cycles came in regular intervals; Thursdays and Fridays were the worst days. He crashed feet first into the waters below, crushing spinal vertebrae and breaking an ankle. The distance from the bridge to the water is the equivalent of a 25-story building. '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,' he wrote. Msg/data rates may apply. "At that speech I shook and I cried and I barely got through it and these kids were impacted. "[11] According to the San Francisco Magazine, he now works as a mental-health advocate.[12]. Kevins will to live and stay mentally well has inspired people worldwide. It was like God sent him to us at a time when my husband needed it the most.". "And I did. Mr Hines said he had no intention of ever talking about his experience, and that he was embarrassed and extremely sad. After he surfaced, he felt a creature nudging his body which was a sea lion helping to keep Hines afloat until he was rescued by the Coast Guard. [24], Hines's mission, through his Kevin and Margaret Hines Foundation, is to provide mental health education and suicide prevention information through worldwide public speaking engagements, research initiatives. [7] He co-founded the Kevin and Margaret Hines Foundation (KMHF), a 501(c)(3) organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, that provides funding and education for suicide prevention in the United States and elsewhere. As he lay crying, he felt a warm, furry body snuggle up to his back. [8], On Monday, September 25, 2000, Hines traveled by bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. One of Hines' major personal protectors is his wife of 12 years, Margaret. I just read your story on the PETA website, very inspiring and what that sea lion, how cool was he/she? 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. His lower vertebrae were fractured, his legs werent working, and he propelled himself to the surface using only his arms, gasping for air. Hines helps suicidal people he has met in one-on-one situationsthrough social media and at his speeches. And he didn't. Now, The 37-year-old. With temperatures in the bay's waters as low as 12C, Mr Hines could have died of hypothermia had a witness not seen him jump and raised the alarm. But trust me: Kevin is intelligent, very well-meaning and he makes the world a better place. Chad (not his real name) and I dated in high school. Be Here Tomorrow - SEA LION on TEAL. 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. Why Do Some People Look Totally Different In Pictures Than In Real Life? "', 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. He never thought anyone could relate to him and has tried to die by suicide several times in his life. Suddenly, it didnt matter how cold the water felt or how much trouble breathing he was having because Kevin sensed he was about to be eaten by a shark. I didnt die, he remembers thinking, and now Im going to be eaten by a shark. Whatever the creature was, it kept Hines buoyant by periodically nudging him to keep him afloat, according to