And there ended Rhodes four-years-in-the-making attempt to wow crowds and find fame by jumping from the bridge into the bay. The instant regret of jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge did not result in instant mental health recovery once Hines survived. I am so glad my attempt did not end in my death. The main principle to this is very simple Taking energy and harnessing it for the good and nothing can go wrong.. Thats simply not true, but it took stepping outside my beliefs, becoming teachable and following the leads of others to find a life worth living. Her disappearance was every parents worst nightmare. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Im wondering if youve seen the post If Only: Self-Blame After a Loved Ones Suicide. Have you read Whats In the Way Is the Way by Mary OMalley? 15, 12, by Americaoncoffee. We talked a lot about loving each other. I meant it, and I almost succeeded. But he didnt and will never know that what he had actually solved only his own problem- feeling/depression. This is perhaps the best argument for preventing suicide. As his wife described, without the weighted boots to keep him upright, Rhodes' body arched forward, eventually meeting the water face-first. I hope you can find peace within. God will come through for you but you have to make an attempt. Thank you for sharing, Stacy. After he was rescued, he continued to live, and lives still, serving as a suicide prevention advocate at the national level. I am so very grateful now to be alive and I hope to find ways to assist others going through the deep abyss that can sometimes take over your entire being take another breath, and another. Theyre asking anyone "who may have been walking, biking, running, who commute over the bridge particularly Wednesday mornings at that time" to share information if they might have seen West or anything that can help locate the missing teen. It was a serious, intentional attempt to end my own life. Have you found commonality in your suicidal patients? Since Sept. 30, there has been no activity on her phone or credit cards. For his big ticket to stardom, Rhodes was inspired by a circus performer named Frank Cushing who was plucked out of the bay the previous year after claiming that he had just leaped from the bridge, though no one was there to see it. PLEASANTON, Calif. (KRON) Nearly a year has gone by since a Bay Area college student, Sydney West, vanished in San Francisco. Woke up yesterday and realized I needed to make another pilgrimage before the series begins. Maybe in order to evade authorities who had refused permission to allow the jump legally 18 months earlier, he removed the weighted boots that were intended to keep him upright during the plunge. Some die instantly from internal injuries, while others . Now I wonder whether I also pressed reset on my brain. I find myself returning to that time in my life and wondering if this is the way Im supposed to go, or if the survival instinct will continue to win. I cant tell you how much of what you write touches me in some way. You note that installation of a suicide barrier at the Bloor Viaduct in Toronto merely caused people to go to other locations in Toronto to die by suicide. Both my son and I said we woud never consider it again, after that. I am literally living day by day and full of guilt, regret and anger. I was able to make it out of the hopelessness and despair that led to my attempt. What happens is if you dont kill yourself you spend the rest of your life being told you didnt mean it. So when crazy people did crazy things in public places, excited crowds would gather. It is also possible she was wearing eyeglasses instead of contact lenses. You provide inspiration to others who still are stuck in that hopelessness and despair. The family of a Sydney West, a 19-year-old Pleasanton native and former Foothill High School student, is again asking the public for any information about their daughters whereabouts leading up to her disappearance last month in San Francisco. Horrified spectators screamed and mothers covered their childrens eyes as Chief Sundowns lifeless body bobbed under the bridge and out to sea. I lost my boyfriend to suicide two years ago and I have not been able to forgive myself. Her father grew worried when she didnt call the next day the day she was last spotted in San Francisco. I feel selfish but I feel like I still have to be brave for people because of their fear I might try again. Good luck to you, Joan. Yet it gives me great hope that the vast majority of suicide attempt survivors remain just that survivors. My mother battled w depression I watched her battle hard all my life and still. She grew up in Pleasanton, CA and then moved to Chapel Hill, NC with her family during high school. In the 1970s, a researcher named Richard Seiden wanted to find out what happened to 515 people who came to the Golden Gate Bridge to die within the previous 35 years, but who were stopped by California Highway Patrol officers. I dont understand why things are suddenly going so well for me though.. Youd think karma would hit me and make my life way worse but I guess the universe wants me alive for some reason? If all else fails do something drastic. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Its great to hear that things are going well for you now. Sadly, your post is being used by some commenters to justify the Golden Gate Bridge net boondoggle. Look at life this way Instead of allowing a human being to be a target almost like a bomb dropping on ringed target Simply flip the idea of all the violence and fear over..Draw a Large Heart then several hearts within Make a plan for dreams and plans Stick to it .. West had just gone off to college to her dream school, University of California Berkeley. While living in San Francisco West enjoyed singing and playing the piano for open mic nights around the city. That is no way to live, but that is the reality. Also, on the Resources page, I list a number of websites and other resources for people who have lost someone to suicide. "Syd," as she liked to be called, was initially thought to have last been seen or heard from early the morning of September 30 in the Crissy Field area. She had moved in with friends in San Francisco, where she was living when she disappeared. Keep pushing on. Im here. Theres another post that might be helpful to you, too: You Cant Do Everything: Limitations in Helping a Suicidal Person. I tried by drinking mosquito poison. SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) The family of a UC Berkeley freshman who disappeared last September has offered a $10,000 reward for information in connection with the case. There are far more narcissistic dads and men than there are women and mothers. I use to hate her for wanting to leave me, got diagnosed w depression at 15 have done so many therapy sessions. My failure as a person was responsible for my extreme step. Thanks again. Precious few people survive such a fall; the water about 200 feet below acts the same as concrete when a person lands on it at high speed. User account menu. This case has always stuck with me because I am in my 20s and suffer from anxiety and depression. The 265-foot plunge off the most famous bridge in the world was right in his wheelhouse, until it wasnt. China sets this year's economic growth target at 'around 5%', Year after the slap, Chris Rock punches back in new special, Biden's Selma visit puts spotlight back on voting rights, Trump pitches a sequel, but shies away from attacking rivals, 20 cars of Norfolk Southern cargo train derail in Ohio, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 19; 3 still missing, Athlete dead in shipwreck left Pakistan to help disabled son, China expands defense budget 7.2%, marking slight increase, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway and husband are divorcing, Teen hikers rescued after days stuck in California snowstorm. His father had died by suicide and even though I knew all of this, I couldnt see the forest through the trees. Between 1937 and 2012, an estimated 1,400 bodies were recovered of people who had jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge, located in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States.. Thank you for contributing to the discussion. In fact, Dusty told his friend to shoot from the bridge as it would be more dramatic, and besides, he would easily be able to swim to shore to a congratulatory, awestruck crowd of beach goers. But what if you dont want help? And for most of those whose lives were saved, life goes on for many more years to come. West returned to the Bay Area as a University of California, Berkeley student, where she studied until recently, San Francisco police said when she was first reported missing. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Try convincing someone like me that life is worth it. There is not much known about the day Sydney disappeared. And I got very drunk every time I drank after that, which was quite often. She replied, She probably figured she could fix you. This was the beginning of my recognition of the fact that I wasnt the horrible person I made myself out to be, in fact, my story is very much like a lot of alcoholics Ive met. Cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge recorded Sydney the morning of Sept. 30. I often want to jump off the bridge by my apartment. A little over four years ago I couldnt see an end to the emotional pain and despair I felt and became obsessed with thoughts of killing myself: another failed marriage, another lost job, another lost home, my girlfriend left me and just as we seemed to be getting back together died of a stroke. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. Which will turn into the vicious cycle of no job= no money, and no money = no job. It turns out that I had, and still have, many misconceptions about myself and the people in encounter. Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Golden Gate lacks a suicide barrier . After the war, people were looking for entertainment in 1940's San Francisco, but TVs were not yet common in homes, public hangings were history and the 49ers hadnt joined the NFL yet. About his dads suicide, your article helping me a lot to help. He once tried to jump off the Aloha Tower in Honolulu only to be thwarted at the last minute by police. ChiMaxx, thank you for writing and for raising important points in your comment. Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier: Controversy and cost over a life saver. 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"On Aug. 20, 1985, I jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and I survived." Ken Baldwin was 28 years old and had just started a family. I hope he is seeing a psychiatrist for his medications, not a PCP, because psychiatrists are much more well versed in the benefits, risks, side effects, etc. West returned to the Bay Area for college at UC Berkeley after her family moved from Pleasanton to North Carolina several years ago. West, 19, disappeared on a foggy San Francisco morning, around 6:45 a.m. to 7 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30 on the Golden Gate Bridge. Reach out to someone, anyone because I can tell you they have no idea how you feel. Background: Sydney West was born on July 11, 2001. So they dont die, but continue miserable lives wishing for it to be over. At this point, the instinct is what keeps me living. This Walking Pad treadmill made getting 10,000 steps a How to get tickets for Depeche Mode's new tour dates. What Dr. Seiden found is a remarkable testament to the fact that a suicidal crisis is often very often temporary. Anyone in the Bay Area with any information regarding her disappearancecan contact Sgt. She failed at killing herself and learned a different process of questions to see her feelings. Thank you. He jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge and survived. Now, he's - CNN I was driving toward the Hoover Dam bypass bridge from Memphis over 4 years ago to jump off. I just read your post. Her family still has hope that they will one day find her. News. Rhodes, who also went by his native Navajo name Chief Sundown, was no stranger to danger. She talked to herfather on the phone the day before shewent missing. But in reality, he cant know what the future holds. Search within r/redsox. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. There are many people with children whose pain or distorted thinking overrides all else, in spite of their best wishes. If prior research is any indication, the barrier will save lives, even when taking into account people who go elsewhere to die by suicide. If you havent already joined a support group for other suicide loss survivors, that might help you; such groups are available in person and online. Anyone interested in following the investigation may do so on Facebook or Instagram, and tag posts with #FindSydneyWest. Your message here is a good one. This site continues to distract me from my suicidal thoughts. Interviews with jump survivors and potential jumpers . Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). How one teen's suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge became a cause for his Part of Audacy. More often than not, the crisis passes. Golden Gate Bridge Mystery: Where's Sydney West? Footage in the area, according to a website the family recently set up in light of her disappearance, was blocked by fog and morning haze. He already had refused to get help or to stop drinking. I am a 60+ year old woman with four grown kids and six grandkids and when the darkness set in I could no longer see the effect this would have had on their lives. Its death toll has since been surpassed only by the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in China.. The Golden Gate Bridge, which first opened in May 1937, was the most popular suicide site in the world during the documentary's filming, with approximately 1,200 deaths by 2003. 18 I held a gun to my head in my backyard w my finger on the trigger. She was a student at Donlon Elementary and Hart Middle schools and attended Foothill High School for her freshman and sophomore years. A Lesson from 29 Golden Gate Suicide Attempts - Medium Disappearance of Sydney West : r/UnresolvedMysteries - reddit At the age of 19, Kevin Hines attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, an all-too-common act that nearly always results in death. Simply put, means restriction saves lives. I agree with you completely, Anonymous. [This comment was edited, per the Comments Policy. She was carrying a black backpack and her light brown hair was pulled back into a bun. Additionally, Hines takes medication and . I said, Well, the night we met I got so drunk I passed out on the living room floor. I did find this website and it has so much information that I needed to read. In the midst of a struggle with mental illness, Hines got a running start . Suicide bridge - Wikipedia The. I often think that if we are going to make up what we tell ourselves about our future, we might at least make it good. Any information could help so if you know anyone that was in that area around that time, please use contact information provided below. Suicide From the Golden Gate Bridge | American Journal of Psychiatry West was born in Walnut Creek and lived briefly in Castro Valley before her family moved to Pleasanton. I had my suicidal thoughts since I was a child I lost my mum when I was 9 years old she took her own life and even now after my attempt I still dont know how to feel about what happened to her and what I have done to my self but I know I will have to find a way to live with the impact of my attempt and hopefully find a way to some sort of happiness, Please seek help, therapy to work through your trauma, it must be so hard to have lost your mum in this way and your nine year old self could only feel abandoned, not enough to have stopped her.