My heart is just so unnerved right now; I just got off the phone with the Houston Crisis Hotline (my friend lives near Houston, TX) and the National Suicide Hotline and I feel like my hands are still tied since I'm so far away. At the encouragement of my family I called those numbers to find out what I can do considering that I’m 1500 miles away from my friend, whom I see as a “little brother,” was that he has been thinking of attempting to do it yet again. I remember his previous attempt clear as day. 

If it comes down to it I may have to get the local authorities to do a “wellness check up” on him since I'm out of state. I also feel that’s the only way he is able to get the help that he needs if he doesn’t want to call a crisis hotline or seek some form of help. It's hard to know to there is only so much you can do for someone.

Just thinking about all this has brought back the memory of me balling my eyes out at work when I was about to clock in for the evening. My then boss let me go for the night to the hospital, I rushed over there as fast as I could; I was the first one there, but couldn’t see him because I was not family and he had just responded to treatment after four hours being rushed into the hospital. It was a good thing that I had the next couple days off to recover from the shock. The incident hit me very hard since he was also my roommate and my co-worker and didn’t see any signs that he was suicidal and/ or depressed. That was the hardest part for me to grasp, that in a blink of an eye, someone, close to me like him, would want to make themselves “disappear,” just like that.

The accident caused him to slip into a coma for three weeks. His body required major surgery of the brain and skull, his pelvic area, and of his legs and ankles. He was in rehab for at least another three to four months; thankfully he recovered rather quickly due to his age, he was 21. However, he is still the same person, but at the same time, he isn’t the same person anymore. It breaks my heart to know what this has done to him and his family and how he’s left to cope with his health.

The incident has caused an emotional toll on him and his family, which seem to have left him without much support. Just that alone, hurts so much. He needs help. He’s screaming out for help, yet at the same he probably doesn’t know where to turn or feels ashamed of asking for help.

If you or someone you know, is contemplating suicide or need someone to talk to about this matter, please dial the Suicide Hotline, toll free, at 1(800)- SUICIDE, 1(800)-784-2433 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1(800)-273-(TALK), 1(800)-273-8255.

If it’s an emergency, please dial 911. IMMEDIATELY