Man reunited with stranger who talked him down from suicide try

Jonny Benjamin (left) and Neil Laybourn: ‘When he [Laybourn] came along it burst the bubble of that globe I was in. I felt faith, like I could speak to him’.

6 many years soon after he stood on the edge of London’s Waterloo Bridge getting ready to leap off, a man has been reunited with the stranger who talked him to safety with the guarantee: “It’ll get far better mate, you will get greater.”

Just above two weeks in the past, Jonny Benjamin, 26, an ambassador for Rethink Mental Sickness set out to find the stranger, whose title he could not even keep in mind, in hope rather than expectation. But soon after Television, radio and newspaper interviews and a #FindMike campaign on Facebook and Twitter – backed by Stephen Fry, Boy George and even the deputy prime minister – Neil Laybourn, 31, from Surrey came forward and exposed that he was “Mike”.

“It was extraordinary,” stated Benjamin. “I didn’t expect to find him it felt like hunting for a needle in the haystack. I couldn’t bear in mind something about him, I could not keep in mind his identify – Mike was a nickname I gave him.”

On 14 January 2008, Benjamin was ready to kill himself. He had just lately been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which he explained felt like a “lifestyle sentence”, provided negative media coverage of schizophrenia. “I was in my own globe standing at the edge of the bridge, striving to find the correct point to jump,” he mentioned.

“When he [Laybourn] came along it burst the bubble of that planet I was in. I felt faith, like I could talk to him.”

Benjamin said it was Laybourn’s compassion and simple phrases – “It’ll get far better mate, you will get far better” – that affected him. Laybourn asked Benjamin to phase back and go for a coffee and a chat with him but when he eventually climbed down, police arrived.

6 many years on, his wellness obtaining enhanced, Benjamin hoped to find the type stranger, thank him and demonstrate him how he had recovered. But he said he did not realistically assume to do well and the #FindMike campaign was motivated far more by his want to highlight the concerns of suicide and psychological health.

Millions of folks shared his story, which he publicised on the internet with the support of Rethink Psychological Sickness. #FindMike trended on Twitter in the Uk and as far afield as Canada, South Africa and Australia. He was stunned when Laybourn got in touch soon after the fitness trainer’s girlfriend saw the appeal on Facebook and recognised the story.

Modestly dismissing Benjamin’s description of him as a hero, Laybourn stated it was just instinct to quit and consider to talk him down. He explained on that day in January 2008, he began asking Benjamin queries about himself and his scenario and identified they had grown up about ten minutes from every other in Watford.

“Possibly it was fate, it was simple to make a connection,” he recalled. “There are individuals who would stroll previous and there are people who would have taken action. I am proud that I was in the crowd that took action.”

Laybourn stated he had by no means forgotten about the incident, particularly as he still commutes to operate above Waterloo Bridge. “It is something you would often feel about but much less regularly as time went on,” he stated.

He described their reunion on Tuesday, which started with a warm embrace, as “incredible” and stated they are established to stay in touch. “We’re going to go for that coffee he promised me on the bridge,” said Benjamin.

• For much more details on mental well being, go to rethink.org or call 0300 5000 927 (Mon-Fri, 10am to 2pm)

Man reunited with stranger who talked him down from suicide try