Break the silence for suicide attempt survivors, by JD Schramm (Silvia Pers Pérez)

John was a guy whose life was, apprently, pretty good. He was about to sell his NY appartment at a six-figure profit before having had it for only five years, he'd just been offered a teaching appointment at the school where he graduated from, which meant he'd get a salary and, for the first time in his life, benefits... Things were going really well for John but despite all of that positive-y things, he was struggling with an awful depression. This illness kicked him so hard that, on June 11th, 2003, he climbed to the fence of the Manhattan Bridge, ready to leave from life. Miraculously, he survived. Even though he broke some bones, punctured his lung and was unconscious for some time, more or less until he reached the pathway of the Staten Island Ferry, he survived. The passengers, who noticed his cries of pain, helped him to get to the Bellevue Hospital.

John's work was really hard: he had to put his life back together in all extents, and he had little or no support.

According to some researches, 95% of people who attempt suicide will fail the first time, but if they do attempt again, they are 37 times more likely to successfully take their lives. Our society doesn't have the resources to help all those people, and what's more, the stigma that surrounds suicide makes people like John feel more isolated.

This man knows this story very well, and it's the first time he talks about it in public. He also tells us that, after the attempt, John lost a beloved teacher in 2006 and a good friend last year to suicide. He knew as well that he needed to get past taboos to talk about an idea worth spreading, and that idea is about people, people who have decided to put the pieces back together, and therefore people who need more support, resources and help. Because it gets better, sooner or later it will get better. John knows this story so well to the point he's John. And he sends us a clear message: "If you are someone who has contemplated or attempted suicide, or you know someone who has, please talk about it, because you can save a life (or more than one)".

Silvia Pers