A man from Cork went on the radio this morning in order to thank a garda who saved his life and to try to help others who might be struggling to deal with the same issues.
The man, who identified himself as Daniel, revealed to Cork’s 96FM today that he had been contemplating taking his own life on Thursday of this week and that he had been just “ten seconds” away from doing it when he met Garda Karen Ring.
He stated that it was thanks to the actions of the garda that he is alive today and added that she helped him to talk through his issues.
“I was in a very dark spot yesterday,” he told radio hosts PJ Coogan and Deirdre O’Shaughnessy.
“I wasn’t feeling good, and I decided to walk down to the pier head and end my life.
“There was one garda – Karen Ring was her name – and they happened to be on routine patrol, and must have spotted something unusual about my behaviour.
“She just sat me down and she spoke to me – not as a guard, but as a counsellor or a therapist… she got me out of the frame of mind I was in.”
We have spoken to Daniel off-air and referred him to a counsellor. We hope he’s going to be ok. #ol96 #suicideawareness #mentalhealth
— 96fm Opinion Line (@OpinionLine96) April 10, 2015
He continued: “It was scary – I was ten seconds away from just jumping in. I’m glad I didn’t, but at the time, that was my frame of mind and that’s what I was going to do.”
He went on to state that he got help from Cork University Hospital and that he had called the station to share the story in case there were other people going through a similar struggle.
He praised Garda Ring again, saying: “I’m here this morning, and I’d just like to thank her.”
The man explained: “I’m far from being better – but that’s for another day.
“That’s something I’m going to have to deal with, some way or another. It’s a very lonely place to be when you have those thoughts inside your head. You’ll leave your kids after you, your grandkids.
“It’s something that I hope I can help people that are listening there is help there, there are good people out there.”
If you are affected by the issues in this story, or need someone to talk to, you can contact Samaritans on 116 123 or Pieta House.
Hat tip: Cork’s 96 FM/Opinion Line on Soundcloud.
