Thanks again. 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. Sadly, your post is being used by some commenters to justify the Golden Gate Bridge net boondoggle. 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Ive worked in Mental health, Ive lost a family member through suicide. I love the analogy with weight loss. Come home.. There are many people with children whose pain or distorted thinking overrides all else, in spite of their best wishes. Hines, who suffers from bipolar disorder, survived a jump from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in 2000. I often want to jump off the bridge by my apartment. She is from Chapel Hill, N.C. East Bay Wine & Whimsy (Metaphysical Market), Before & After Photos Show CA's Snowpack, Reservoirs After Storms, Best Bay Area Sandwiches + Stranded Hiker Rescued: Saturday Smiles, Sprawling Estates, Suburban Dreams: 11 Featured Bay Area Homes, Berkeley Police Warn Of Vehicle Theft Rise, The Poop On Free-Range Cats And Your Lawn And Garden [Block Talk]. Saving Lives at the Golden Gate Bridge. Thank you for sharing, Stacy. Now I wonder whether I also pressed reset on my brain. He has visited mental hospitals several times since his jump. Watching "The Bridge" -- a new documentary that captures 23 suicide jumps from the bridge . As a person who has tried countless times to end my life, even shooting myself in the head, we are stuck living with yet another feeling of failure when we fail and continue suffering. The four-second fall from the Golden Gate Bridge sends a person plunging . The decision collapsed Rhodes sister's claim that her brother was murdered as cameraman Guzman should have been in a boat to pull her brother out of the water. Any suggestions? The longitude and latitude for the Bridge location is approximately: N 37 Degrees, 49 Minutes, 8.0 Seconds --- W 122 Degrees, 28 Minutes, 40.6 Seconds. 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. Cookie Notice In Toronto, the barrier at the Bloor Viaduct did not reduce the number of people who died of suicide by jumping in the city; it just moved them to other locations. (findsydneywest.com) West was last seen on the morning of Sept. 30 on the iconic bridge. I wanted to talk with others in the same situation but I could understand how that may not be in the best interest of either party. For more information, click here. Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. He completed the challenge and won himself a taxi ride to New York. When I arrived at the #FindSydneyWest vigil in Pleasanton, I said whoever is singing has a beautiful voice. I agree with you completely, Anonymous. Although severe depression led him to jump off the bridge, Kevin Hines has stated: "The very second I let go, I knew I had made a big mistake." Be blunt and honest dont sugar coat how you feel. I knew then that I would never try it again. You might be helped by connecting with other people who have attempted suicide and can understand not only what can lead a person to do that, but also what comes after. I have to attend Court for something I have not done, the pressures that as put on me is colossal, yetI still have to attend, I know I will collapse in court from the stress and also have a serious heart condition on medication for it. [This comment was edited, per the Comments Policy. Berkeley when she went missing on September 30, 2020. I am sure your mum will be watching over you, so sad that she caused you so much pain, please seek help, you are precious, with love xxx. Sydney Harbour Bridge has a suicide prevention barrier. SFGATE's Editor-at-Large Andrew Chamings is a British writer in San Francisco. West took a rideshare service to the Golden Gate Bridge; the driver cooperated with San Francisco police and is not believed to be a suspect. More often than not, the crisis passes. Additionally, Hines takes medication and . The 265-foot plunge off the most famous bridge in the world was right in his wheelhouse, until it wasnt. There were probably signs that you had a drinking problem from the very beginning. It was a startling revelation. News. Photos purchased from Fotolia.com. He published the results in an article titled Where Are They Now? He might also have refused to remove the gun from the home, too. Any information could help so if you know anyone that was in that area around that time, please use contact information provided below. I just need time to tidy up affairs, belongings, finances, assemble the plan. The Pittsburg Sun-Telegraph on May 2, 1948. I address the myth of inevitable suicide in this post. Shortly after 1 p.m. on March 8, San Francisco officials pulled the fully clothed body of a 56-year-old white man from the waves off secluded Marshall's Beach, just south of the Golden Gate Bridge. A vigil was held last week for West in Pleasanton. For suicidal individuals and their loved ones, survivors, mental health professionals, & others who care, Although severe depression led him to jump off the bridge, Kevin Hines, Yet it gives me great hope that the vast majority of suicide attempt survivors remain just that survivors. :A Follow-up Study of Suicide Attempters fromthe Golden Gate Bridge.. We certainly do need to continue educating people about suicide prevention, including the reality that most people who survive a suicide attempt choose life afterwards. She was a student at Donlon Elementary and Hart Middle schools and attended Foothill High School for her freshman and sophomore years. I tried to commit suicide when I was 18. It may help,, Kind Regards, I am a suicide survivor from India. Sydney Kaitlyn West, 19, was last seen near the Golden Gate Bridge around 6:45 a.m. on September 30, 2020. I couldnt pull all the way. It happens. Sydney West was last seen near the Golden Gate Bridge in the early morning hours of Sept. 30, walking near Crissy Field. Rhodes had been seeking fame all his life, and successfully became one of Hollywoods first stuntmen, appearing in movies such as "Under Arizona Skies" and "Duel in the Sun," in which he performed a cliff jump. At 10 o'clock in the morning, Ken. Her family still has hope that they will one day find her. My failure as a person was responsible for my extreme step. 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Now I dont know if I can fight it, but coping with failure and constant depression is impossible. West was born in Walnut Creek and lived briefly in Castro Valley before her family moved to Pleasanton. Sydneyhas not used her phone, social media or bank accounts since she disappeared. 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. Missing person: The San Francisco Police Department is asking the public to report any information regarding 19-year-old Sydney West who was last seen on Sept. 30, 2020, at SF's Crissy Field. We remain hopeful that someone knows something that will be helpful in finding her.. Sydney West's parents confirmed she was last seen on the Golden Gate Bridge. I am resigned to staying alive until I die in some other way. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe now to receive more just like it. West had just gone off to college to her dream school, University of California Berkeley. Praying for you. Dusty thought he could do the same but let everyone see it, and so employed the services of his pal, Hollywood cameraman Jose Guzman, to capture the jump on film. The sad thing is that, as I say in my letter, some of what your friend thinks and believes may actually be true, but his mind is probably also shutting him out of other truths that could balance out his pain. 15, 12, by Americaoncoffee. r/redsox. What % of those people were financially ruined (ie dead broke) with no job or no home? Sydney West is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but also grew up in the Pleasanton area. But things went wrong for Dusty as he climbed the rails to attempt the feat. But 10 years later, Im there again. Why Prevent Suicide? He managed to turn himself upright in the few seconds it took for him to hit the water; this way, he did not land on his head. A missing person case has also been launched in Orange County, North Carolina, where West's family lives. But he didnt and will never know that what he had actually solved only his own problem- feeling/depression. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Police do not necessarily believe there was foul play involved, according to an interview Rueca had with KRON4. For example, he may be telling himself that the way he feels and is now is the way he will feel and be forever. And the children are adults now. He already had refused to get help or to stop drinking. After he was rescued, he continued to live, and lives still, serving as a suicide prevention advocate at the national level. Upon its completion in 1937, it was the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world. Im about to be 22, medicated trying to live normal with constant suicidal thoughts. Its great to hear that things are going well for you now. [This comment was edited to abide by the Comments Policy. Its not always a change of mind when deciding not to jump its fear of failure, Hi Londa, West returned to the Bay Area for college at UC Berkeley after her family moved from Pleasanton to North Carolina several years ago. The articles abstract states: Following the interventions, there was an 86% reduction in jumping suicides per year at the sites in question (95% CI 79% to 91%). I meant it, and I almost succeeded. Try convincing someone like me that life is worth it. The entire bridge in covered with CCTV cameras monitored 24/7, and footage is retained for 6 months as it is federal land and monitored by Homeland Security. Bonnie. "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. Car plunges off California elevated highway, 3 people killed. 2023 Audacy, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I hope that he is able to get effective help, both psychologically and pharmaceutically. In 2013, Briggs retired from the California Highway . Horrified spectators screamed and mothers covered their childrens eyes as Chief Sundowns lifeless body bobbed under the bridge and out to sea. Lets get real here life sucks and its hard but dont give up. 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. God will come through for you but you have to make an attempt. I tried to help her, I really did Except I didnt. But in reality, he cant know what the future holds. He now works daily, and diligently, to manage continued symptoms that can include depression and hearing voices. Sydney is considered at risk due to depression, said SFPD Officer Robert Rueca to KRON4. None of us can. 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. They then examine the demographic characteristics of those who commit suicide from the bridge as well as the fatal attraction of the Golden Gate Bridge. I wanted to distance myself from it as much as I could so that people would leave me alone. 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. 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. They are doing a med wash and released me with no meds, and actually said if I come back, I will be admitted long term. "I just want to reach out to all the folks that have been supporting us over the past almost month now, communicate that the support and the love that we get is just absolutely amazing," Wests dad, Jay West, said in the clip. "Jump." That's the word Kevin Hines heard in his head on September 25, 2000, as he stood on the Golden Gate Bridge. West was last seen on the Golden Gate Bridge onSept. 30, 2020 just before 7 a.m., according to the San Francisco Police Department. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. After graduating high school in 2019, she decided to take a gap year in Australia. Everything says Get help. Had she jumped somebody definitely would have noticed, and it would've been caught on CCTV (the cameras are placed on light poles so fog does not block). BERKELEY, CA The parents of Sydney "Syd" West, a missing person who was previously a University of California, Berkeley student, have divulged new details in her case and are asking anyone with information to come forward. And for most of those whose lives were saved, life goes on for many more years to come. The chances of surviving. I am so glad my attempt did not end in my death. 10 Reasons Teens Avoid Telling Parents about Suicidal Thoughts. According to Find Sydney West, there is a $25,000 reward for information that leads to finding Syd, who is described as 5'10 tall and about 130 pounds with blue eyes and blonde hair. America feeds narcissistic women because their joy is in materialistic consumption, the backbone of this country that once believed life had a higher purpose. About his dads suicide, your article helping me a lot to help. 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. It was the last thing Dusty did, and it was a failure, she said. They planned to reconvene in L.A. the following day to hatch a plan to monetize the footage. So when crazy people did crazy things in public places, excited crowds would gather. It is believed that she had moved out of the dorms into an apartment with some friends near campus. For example, upon hearing me take total responsibility for the failure of my first marriage a gifted woman who is a counselor and pastor said, I typically find that both parties share responsibility equally. Theres just a lack of evidence that shes not with us anyone, Jay West said. Press J to jump to the feed. I blame myself 100% for her suicide. I said, Well, the night we met I got so drunk I passed out on the living room floor. A good place to start is the Facebook group Live Through This. Generally, research into method substitution has found that blocking access to a suicide method results in fewer suicides overall, even when taking into consideration those suicides by people who found other ways to die. September 30, 2020 was the last time anyone saw or heard from 19-year-old Sydney West. Thats why I searched for answers and I found this site. Being a freshman and isolated on campus due to the COVID pandemic was hard for West, her family said. I was able to make it out of the hopelessness and despair that led to my attempt. For more information, please see our Edit: FAQs https://findsydneywest.com/faq, https://www.pollyklaas.org/missing-children/sydney-west/, https://pleasantonweekly.com/news/2021/09/30/what-a-week-find-sydney-west, https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/searching-for-sydney-san-francisco-police-still-asking-for-publics-help/?fbclid=IwAR2uVE3anCjr5EvpUerTiD6JZxCAENR83-xIRz3TRzAfRuGckyYFzRqnobM, https://storiesoftheunsolved.com/2020/11/27/the-disappearance-of-sydney-west/. Of the 515 people whose attempt was interrupted, only 35 later died by suicide in the years to come. West's parents are asking anyone who may have been commuting or exercising on the bridge to come forward with anything they may have seen. PART OF AUDACY NEWS. Parents hope key to teen's disappearance is with passerby on Golden Gate Bridge, How one storm system wreaked havoc from coast to coast, Californians await key decisions from reparations task force, Bankman-Fried might use flip phone under stricter bail plan, Woman accused of killing ill husband released from jail, Alaska's arduous Iditarod kicks off with ceremonial start, was initially thought to have last been seen or heard from early the morning of September 30 in the Crissy Field area. According to San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) her family reported her missing two days after she was last seen on Oct 2, 2020. She was last seen wearing a light teal hoodie, dark leggings, and slip-on vans sneakers with dark green and black print. For me, the will to live kicked in. When I woke up a day later, my depression had greatly improved. Me and my childrens life broke into pieces and our life will never be the same. My hope for others feeling like that is they tell someone who can help them. Sydney West never returned home, and has not been heard from since. There is a strength within you. And its been a long term plan, for 35 years, but become refined in that time. I attempted when I was a teenager. I cant get beyond the pain. Those two have shown some effectiveness at reducing suicidal ideation and behavior. I just got out two days ago. But, as you said, the problem is also bigger than a question of means. West's family urges anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Scott Dudek, their investigator, who can be reached at 925-705-8328. West may have been wearing dark leggings, blue Vans shoes and a teal sweatshirt at the time of her disappearance. As I entered Oklahoa, something I like to think it was my Higher Powerinspired me to call my brother in Illinois and I ended up going in and out of treatment centers until I finally realized that Im an alcoholic and that there was hope for me. I tried commiting suicide and ended up brain dead Then after I got out of the coma, I was put in rehab for 11 months where I kept trying to break my neck and die because I missed my fiance so much (he wasnt allowed to visit me because he had attempted suicide with me too since he didnt want to live without me). It may feel 100% true to him. Healthcare sucks, Government sucks, Law Enforcement Sucks, the economy sucks, the housing market, job, market, and prospects suck, no body likes me, including myself, and I really dont like anyone else either. "There were many people in that vicinity during that time," said Mr. West. Thank you for reaching out to Joan and offering your support. Overall, a meta-analysis of numerous studies that looked at bridges suicide barriers found them to be effective. Camera footage has been reviewed and interviews have been conducted among West's friends and acquaintances, but there are no leads. I am hopeful that similar results will be found after the suicide barrier at the Golden Gate bridge is in place. Log In Sign Up. While in Australia she started blogging about beginning to experience bouts of depression on top of her anxiety. Your pain matters. It amazes me that the vast majority of suicides are by men, and virtually all of the articles about it are by women. "This will be the biggest jump of my life," he told her. Someone mustve seen something nothing is being ruled out. Her family has stated that she enjoyed the area around the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was not unlike her to take pictures and go for a walk or run. A $25,000 reward is being offered for anyone who has information that leads to her return. So in a couple days with no vehicle no money and no job, Im just supposed to trudge on, because life is precious or whatever other placating device people Banty about? I still think about suicide, although not as often. At this point, the instinct is what keeps me living. Your battle won matters. My reason to live is so I dont hurt people who care but what if you have no one who cares there was a time I had no one it was only my stupidity that got the hospital aware of my attempt. People are stupid. Rhodes, who also went by his native Navajo name Chief Sundown, was no stranger to danger. I saw him hit the water like a bullet, said his wife. At 11:45 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2013 Kyle Gamboa stopped his truck in the middle of the highway, stepped out, ran onto the pedestrian walkway and jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge to his death. My name is Steven. The corpse was pulled from the water by the Coast Guard a mile from the bridge 20 minutes later. My passion for helping suicidal people stems from my own lived experience with suicidality and suicide loss. Dear Anthony, [feb.6.2019 @9.26am]. Andrew has written for The Atlantic, Vice, SF Weekly, the San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney's, The Bold Italic, Drowned in Sound and many other places. I supported her desire to stop taking her medication. This case has always stuck with me because I am in my 20s and suffer from anxiety and depression. Your message here is a good one. I put up a front so my kids wont end up the same way. Yes I know this fear of failure as well. Dressed in a blue sweatshirt, leggings and Vans slip-on sneakers,. It is also possible she was wearing eyeglasses instead of contact lenses. YEAH? Video footage from the bridge has been carefully reviewed by investigators but due to foggy and smoky conditions camera views where obstructed making it impossible to tell her exact location on the bridge. Also, on the Resources page, I list a number of websites and other resources for people who have lost someone to suicide. 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. Even so, bridge foreman Arthur Olson caught up with the stuntman as the crowd gathered, and grabbed him, but lost his grip, only succeeding in ripping free one of the harnesses. Anyone interested in following the investigation may do so on Facebook or Instagram, and tag posts with #FindSydneyWest. If prior research is any indication, the barrier will save lives, even when taking into account people who go elsewhere to die by suicide. Has he tried cognitive behavior therapy? Youve been through an enormous amount. Copyright 2013 Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW, All Rights Reserved. It is true that suicide sometimes defies even the best efforts to thwart it. She talked to herfather on the phone the day before shewent missing. Hi Joan. / CBS San Francisco. Has left me pretty much bankrupt and not willing to live. Thank you for providing this site. Im not sure that preventing suicide is such a noble act. I hope you will read it and take its words to heart. After my attempt at suicide, I tried to find information about my feelings and what others were feeling. I will just speak it: Their lies destroyed me and there is no one on earth greater than you and those you love and want to protect. It was a serious, intentional attempt to end my own life. Such an assumption would be wrong. The bridge is 225 feet high, and after a four-second fall, jumpers hit the water at a speed of 75mph, with a force equivalent to a lorry crashing into a wall. 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? SF]. More women attempt suicide but more men complete it because men use more lethal methods. How Parents Can Support a Child With Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Survivor Stories Empowered Me to Live, How Ive Survived and Thrived with Suicidal Thoughts, A Personal Note to Readers of Speaking of Suicide, Helping the Suicidal Person: Tips and Techniques for Professionals, psychotherapist and consultant in private practice. And they did for the Hollywood stuntmans attempt to sail off the Golden Gate Bridge on Feb. 6, 1948. Dec. 11, 2019 Updated: Dec. 12, 2019 8:06 a.m. 5. Michael Horan at 415-553-1028 or the family's private investigator at 925-705-8328. Somehow I survived. 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