I was saved too... this can kickstart recovery

JONNY Benjamin, 30, was talked out of a suicide attempt by stranger Neil Laybourn in 2008. He became a mental health campaigner and hailed George and Haci. He writes:

What an amazing, brave and courageous thing to do, particularly at such a young age.

I have no doubt a lot of people who saw that might have walked past, but to actually take action takes a lot of courage. They should feel very proud of themselves. It took me a while after my incident on the bridge to get better and it will probably be the same for this 21-year-old.

But it was the starting point to my recovery. The fact someone cared enough to stop and talk meant a huge amount.

I had given up and lost faith, but for someone to show compassion and empathy restored my faith in humanity. I hope it will do the same for this young man. In time, when ready, I would recommend the three of them get together again.

It was hard for me to talk about my incident for a while, mostly out of embarrassment, but it was important to meet Neil once I was better.

It’s cathartic and helped close a door for both of us. These boys should also not be afraid to talk about it.

It is nice they have each other, but they should also talk to people around them – friends, family and, if they need to, someone professional.

Especially as these guys are so young. It will be a big deal for them, so they should talk about it to help understand the heroic thing they have done.