Today marks the sixth anniversary of the day that Jonny Benjamin attempted to take his own life.
On the 14th of January 2008 Jonny, who had been struggling to cope after being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, travelled to Waterloo Bridge in London with the intention of jumping into the River Thames until a passerby stopped him.
The young man has now launched an online campaign titled ‘Find Mike’, hoping to locate the kind stranger and thank him.
Johnny recalled just what he remembered to the Metro UK, and how the stranger encouraged him to climb back over the railings.
“He was very calm and 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 said.
“He reminded me of what people do every day so the normality of it was really inviting.”
Since then Jonny has managed to turn his life around and is now a mental health campaigner.
“His act of kindness changed my outlook on life and I’ve 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.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEhDHDdYDVI
Find Mike Campaign posters have been distributed in certain areas of the English capital.
Saw this today. Please RT it would be amazing to find him & let Jonny Benjamin say thanks! #findmike pic.twitter.com/HBe5ihuM9R
— Kirsty Dougall (@kirstydoogs) January 14, 2014
We really hope that Jonny locates the kind passerby.
If you have any information please make contact directly with the Finding Mike campaign on Facebook or Twitter, or email findmike@rethink.org.
Video via YouTube/Rethink Mental Illness
