DIE-HARD BAGOMI This man here survived four suicide attempts
Suicide is the part of mental illness that is most misunderstood and stigmatised. Keabetswe Bagomi, 34, has tried to commit suicide four times in one year but failed and escaped death. Narrating his ordeal to The Midweek Sun, Bagomi, who hails from Borolong, 24 kilometres from Francistown said that in 2020 he fell into a deep dark pit of depression. His depression was a result of many things that happened over time in his life, which included childhood trauma, unemployment, failed relationship and many other burdens he carried. What caused Bagomi to break was when he lost his businesses, and his then partner left him knee-deep in debt. In his first suicide attempt, Bagomi contemplated crashing into a truck. On his way from Serowe en route to Letlhakane, he found a herd of cattle lying on the road and decided to crash into them. He hit two of the beasts and they died on the spot, then the car veered off the road, mowing some trees on its way until it came to a standstill against a tree.
He did not die! “On the second attempt, I decided to walk to my home village Shashe Mooke through the night from Borolong with a plan to use an electric cable I was carrying to hang myself on the way,” he said, adding that he had even written a suicide note on the white t-shirt he was wearing.
Bagomi proceeded with his plan, tied the noose on a tree and just as he was about to hang, he remembered his neighbour who had committed suicide by hanging and his neck was disfigured. “So I could not bear the image of my mother seeing me disfigured like that in my coffin,” Bagomi said. On the third attempt, Bagomi severed his veins with a blade after drowning himself in alcohol. This was to gather courage and to reduce the pain. Fortunately, he just passed out and was found in his bloody blankets by someone who alerted his family.
On his last suicide attempt, he overdosed sleeping pills. Since he had been struggling with insomnia, he took the prescription and obtained 48 tablets, which he all took with alcohol to accelerate the process.
“I went into a deep state of hallucination until my body grew weak and I could not move anymore. I felt myself drifting into death. Fortunately, I was found by my landlord, who then alerted my family.” He was then taken to Jubilee Psychiatrist Hospital.
Bagomi believes that through the help he got, and most importantly the grace of God, he has been saved, although his last attempt was a near success. He highlighted change of environment also helped a great deal. He also got a job which was a weight off his shoulders. Bagomi said all this experience led him to pen down a book titled, ‘The Valley of the Shadow of Death,’ which aims at sharing his story. Through the book, he is showing his scars so others may see that they too can heal from depression and suicidal thoughts.
To those thinking of suicide, he understands their pain and says the truth is they do not really want to die, but just want the pain to stop. “Seeking help does not show weakness, it actually shows that someone wants to continue being strong,” he said, adding that they should be careful of what they feed their mind. Bagomi advised that one way of dealing with suicidal thoughts is by surrounding oneself with positive people and people who want to see one win.