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Mental Health

#FindMike campaign – Mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin meets the man who saved his life after Twitter appeal

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By Ishbel Macleod, PR and social media consultant

January 30, 2014 | 2 min read

Earlier this month Jonny Benjamin began a search for the man who prevented him from taking his own life on a bridge, and through the power of social media, has been able to meet and thank him.

Benjamin, who was suicidal after being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, launched a campaign on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #FindMike – although he didn’t know the name of the man who saved his life on Waterloo Bridge.

He was approached by a stranger who offered to buy him coffee. “He was very calm and said ‘Please don’t do this... you can get better. Let’s have a coffee and we can talk about this,’” said Benjamin. “He reminded me of what people do every day so the normality of it was really inviting.”

He agreed to go with the man, who was in his early twenties and on his way to work. He climbed back over the railings to safety, where police had arrived to look after him. But he never got to know the stranger’s name.

The appeal went out on Facebook and Twitter, and Benjamin gave interviews on TV, radio and newspaper.One of the people to see the appeal was Neil Laybourn from Surrey, whose fiancé saw the campaign on Facebook and instantly recognised the story.Laybourn got in touch and the two have now met.

Laybourn, a personal trainer, said: “I was so pleased to see how well Jonny was doing, I had thought about him over the years and had always hoped he was ok.“When we met, it was clear how much that encounter on the bridge meant to Jonny, he told me it was a pivotal moment in his life – which was great to hear. “I can honestly say, hand on heart that Jonny is one of the nicest people I have ever met, he’s a great bloke and it’s brilliant to see him smiling again. We’ll definitely stay in touch.”
A documentary on the journey is expected to by unveiled in spring.
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