×

SURVIVOR: Hines visits Penn College to spread suicide awareness

On Sept. 24, 2001, Kevin Hines attempted suicide by launching himself over the side of the Golden Gate Bridge and into the San Francisco Bay 220 feet below.

Though that drop has resulted in the deaths of nearly all 2,000 people who have attempted it in the 80 years since the bridge was erected, Hines was one of 36 people to survive the plunge. He is one of just five people to regain complete mobility in his extremities after making the jump.

In the years since that nearly-fatal fall, he has used the experience to build a new life for himself by becoming an advocate for mental health awareness. On Tuesday evening, Hines hosted a presentation of his life story at Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Klump Academic Center auditorium, to raise awareness and understanding of the warning signs of suicidal behavior and how to be proactive in helping someone in need.

“This is a sad, powerful and joyous story,” said Penn College chief student affairs officer Elliott Strickland. “What makes Kevin special — and why we invited him here tonight — is not his experience. He is here tonight because he has found the courage to share his experience with others.

“Until our society begins to start looking at mental illness the same way we look at other illnesses, we will not be able to support and save our friends, relatives, classmates and colleagues,” he added.

Hines began his presentation by outlining his life in full, first detailing the mental illnesses and addictions suffered by his biological parents, which gave him genetic markers for those same diseases.

The bipolar disorder he inherited from them is what ultimately led him to the jump he made from the bridge on that fateful day.

“I walked up and down that walkway, my heart palpitating and my eyes red with tears, for 40 minutes,” said Hines. “Bikers, joggers, tourists, police officers all walked by me. I said to myself that nobody cared. I was so wrong; everybody cared.

“The very millisecond my hands and feet left that rail, I had instant regret for my actions,” he added. “I thought it was too late.”

After a 4-second freefall at 75 mph, Hines hit the water and was sucked down nearly 80 feet deep in the chilly waters of the bay. Completely immobilized by impact — having shattered three vertebrae that splintered throughout his body and came within 2 millimeters of severing his spine — he then nearly drowned.

“It never crossed my mind that I might drown,” Hines said. “Why? Because suicidal thoughts are irrational. I thought you just disappeared into an abyss and were free from pain.

“There are tens of ways to die there, and they are mostly slow and violent,” he added.

Upon reaching the surface, Hines said he only was able to keep from drowning because of help he received from a nearby sea lion, which swam up underneath him and kept him elevated above the water. He also was fortunate that a passerby had seen him make the jump and quickly contacted the Coast Guard, who made the rescue.

“I didn’t think I was going to make it. The pain was insurmountable,” Hines said. “I did the only thing I had control over — I prayed.”

Luckily for Hines, the hospital successfully reconstructed his back so well that he walked in front of the crowd at Penn College with no physical signs of distress whatsoever — a skill that took him just weeks to recover. But in the years since his jump, it’s been the 11 visits to psychiatric facilities that have provided the biggest benefits to Hines’ health and stability.

“In these places I learned about myself. I learned what I can tolerate and the pain I can go through,” he said. “I got educated in these places. I started following a regimented plan and exercising every day in these places.”

In the years since his recovery, Hines has become a published author with his bestselling memoir, “Cracked Not Broken,” and was featured in the 2006 film “The Bridge.” He also sits on the boards of the International Bipolar Foundation, the Bridge Rail Foundation, the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, and the Survivor’s Committee of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Those efforts have earned him much recognition, including the highest honor from Mental Health America — the Clifford W. Beers Award — for his hard work improving the lives of those with mental illness. Just a few of his many other accolades include the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health and being named as an Achievement Winner by U.S. Veterans Affairs.

Despite all of that, Hines said his battle with bipolar disorder leaves him constantly fighting thoughts of suicide to this day. Now, though, he has the tools to combat those thoughts, tools he travels around the world sharing with people, in hopes of preventing others from suffering alone.

“I am asking all of you to have the strength inside you to recognize your pain is real and never be silent in it again,” Hines said. “When you are battling your own personal hell, you find someone you can talk to so you don’t have to go through it alone. That is not the way we are meant to walk in this world; we are brothers and sisters, and you know that.

“Be vulnerable, be honest, and when someone asks you how you are doing, don’t just say ‘I’m fine,’ “ he added. “And if you ask someone that question, you better be there to hear the real answer.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today