Saving

Would you walk by the tearful man on the bridge?

Would you run past the girl crying at the train station?

Would you drop a line to somebody sounding down on social media?

Would you tell yourself when you saw their smile beaming from the newspaper after their death that there was nothing you could have done?

Let me tell you. You could save a life. The Samaritans #smalltalksaveslives campaign highlights this. A small kindness, even an acknowledgement. A small effort, could give strength for one more day.

A dog walker saw me. I had a rope round my neck but wasn't yet hanging. It was dark. I held my breath but his dog came to sniff me. He shone a torch towards me and called the dog away. He walked on by.

I have asked for support for a client who wants to end her life to be told she doesn't mean it. Leaving me no choice but to leave her and wait anxiously to see the news the following day.

I have been sent home alone in a taxi in the middle of the night after a suicide attempt. Never asked if I still had plans.

I have been blocked by friends who have found my pain too much to see. They walked on by.

We all like to think we wouldn't walk by. We like to think that we could never not step in.

The unfortunate truth is that we do walk away. We believe that people don't ask for help if they really want to die. We believe that someone else will help. Someone better trained.

Sometimes it's not the sirens, crisis teams and hospital wards that save people. It's love. Love of those they know, love of a stranger. Somebody, anybody who can offer a heartfelt plea that this person matters. This person is loved and wanted and needed. Ultimately, that this person is worth saving and worth the time and effort that takes.

Don't walk by. You may not convince someone else that they have enough to live for. If you walk by you'll never know and you may have to live with the what ifs.