My dead gran saved me from taking my life
Adam Blum has rebuilt his life and has a positive message for others
Adam Blum was moments from taking his life. Then fate stepped in.
The clouds parted and he saw a vision of his late grandmother appear in the sky, telling him to: “Stop it, step back and pick up the phone”. So that’s what he did. Blum called an old mate, who talked him down for four hours, reaffirming his life was worth living.
It was a transformational moment in an inspiring story, which has seen Blum become a deputy captain at the NSW Rural Fire Service, a successful podcaster and – most recently – a published author.
“I rejected myself that day, and the old Adam died that day,” said Blum, who lives in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. “I’m comfortable with who I am as a person now.”
Growing up with several complicated health issues as a child, Blum underwent a number of medical operations at a young age and struggled with weight issues. He was also diagnosed with ADHD. The result was cruel, relentless bullying from his classmates at school. Even some of his teachers ostracised him, including a sixth grade teacher who told an 11-year-old Blum that he “would amount to nothing in life.”
The bullying only intensified when Blum took a job as a construction worker, from his peers and especially from his boss. One day in 2014, Blum was cleaning the kerb and gutter along the side of the street when he stopped for a sip of water. His boss stepped forward and unleashed on
Blum, calling him a “liar, a bludger and a thief”.
“Those three things that just catastrophically broke my soul,” Blum said. “Just the sheer years and years of being told you are useless and that the world would be a better place without you. I decided on that day that I would end my life.”
He planned to make his suicide attempt, before seeing the vision from his grandmother who “saved his life”.
Blum still vividly remembers spending time with his grandmother. She passed away when he was 12 years old. Together, they would paint ceramic plates, knit, or just have a chat around the kitchen table. She even taught him to tie his shoes.
“I miss her every day but I know she’s with me every day,” Blum said. “She’s on my left shoulder.”
After the incident, Blum began to get his life back on track. He saw a