Odds are a former Naval Academy water-polo player who jumped from the George Washington Bridge and lived to talk about it will become a happier guy. It's no joke.
He may develop back pain, digestive trouble or breathing problems. But many survivors have reported a new zest for life. They feel "better psychologically" and see the brighter side. So says a study in the academic journal Suicide and Life.
After all, by plummeting 212 feet and then SWIMMING TO SHORE, 28-year-old Adrian Rawn defied the odds.
The Catholic Church revised its mortal sin list when it removed suicide, allowing for the possibility that someone could feel remorse amid the act. But if Rawn is in the range of 150-175 pounds, he covered the distance in about 2.5 seconds -- barely enough time to blink, much less think. There's more time between CD tracks.
He's recovering at Hackensack University Medical Center after taking the plunge Friday morning into the 55-degree water and swimming to shore. He'd been having trouble at work, and then his grandmother died, according to Carolyn Salazar, who writes for the New York Post.
In the Bible, Satan tempts Jesus to jump off a high cliff to prove his bona fides. If he was the Son of God, the devil said, Dad would save him.
But there isn't much divine intervention goin' on at suicide bridge. Several years ago, a woman was fished out of the water, alive, but she was banged up pretty good. Same for a man who lived to tell about his leap in 1968.
Then there was the Jersey guy in the 1940s who bet his buddy he could survive a jump. He made it, all right, collected his money -- then died of his injuries a few days later.
In a strange twist, a woman just last month survived a 185-foot plunge from a Hudson River bridge in Poughkeepsie.
It's ironic, in a way, that people kill themselves -- or in Rawn's case: try to -- by jumping off the George. Unlike many other spans, it is so incredibly busy, with commuters heading in and out (108 million vehicles a year), as well as walkers, joggers and cyclists. Between Sirius, GPS, and Blackberrys, few notice that instant when someone suddenly goes over the side.
Publisher/Editor Jerry DeMarco
No, it isn't the spectacle the jumper is after when he or she chooses the 78-year-old span that connects New Jersey with Manhattan island. In the end, it is no more than a case of hopelessness.
The bridge just happens to be there -- a bright, shining landmark that virtually guarantees you'll come up aces.
(In many instances, they leave their shoes -- a phenomena no one has been able to explain to me yet. Anyone know why?)
Jumping from one of the area's most famous bridges is so powerful a deed that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wisely keeps the numbers to itself. But I have it on good authority that we're looking at somewhere around 50 a year.
Now and then we get a performance. Fifteen years ago, Howard Stern talked a man off the GWB live on the radio, for instance. In 2007, the Port Authority deftly brought down a man who scaled one of the cables.
But probably the most outstanding of these would-be suicides came nearly a decade ago, when a man who had been talked down once before climbed to the top of the west tower -- in a tuxedo.
He then tied a rope around his neck and affixed the other end so that if police came too close, he would jump, his lifeless body left to swing in the tower's opening, where the American flag hangs.
He even stripped off his tuxedo pants to reveal a sweatsuit.
Fortunately, expert negotiators from the Port Authority talked him down.
He drew plenty of attention, though: Traffic was stopped, choppers circled overhead and photographers snapped away.
This made him different from the others.
Like the immortal Chet Baker, whose suicide note read "I've gone out the window," GWB jumpers don't want attention. They just want to leave now.
Of course, the Port Authority doesn't want to spoil the view for those who choose to stay alive. But what about erecting catch nets below?
Why not angle them and make them impossible to climb once someone drops in? There are enough police near the bridge to be there in a heartbeat and prevent a tragedy.
I think I will ask them myself.
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Lorraine
said:
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... Jesus never tempted anyone to sin. It was Satan who tried to tempt Christ and twisted scripture. It's really sad that someone would attempt to kill themselves. I've been through a number of things in my life that seemed unbearable at the time and I felt as though I couldn't live through them. If I had taken my life, I would not have lived to experience all the wonderful things that I've been blessed with since! Suicide is selfish and cowardly. It hurts the people who love that person and they have to live with that pain for the rest of their lives! It takes courage to face the storms of life. We all have them. |
Catherine
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... Lorraine's comment shows both the stigma and ignorance that abounds regarding suicide, depression and mental illness. In an unnecessary need to prove her religiousness, she harshly stands in judgment of people who are so heavily afflicted with an overwhelming medical ailment, they see suicide as the only way to end their pain and suffering. My brother died of suicide a year-and-a-half ago. Cowardly? He both served in the military with an honorable discharge and then became a police officer. Dealing with drug addict & drunks, responding to domestic violence calls and heading up his town's emergency management were part of his everyday job. Selfish? When my brother wasn't protecting and serving his town, he volunteered as an EMT for his ambulance squad, and served as a Little League coach and Cub Scout leader for his sons. Any spare time after that was spent helping my parents with their various maintenance projects, or doing home improvements of his own. So, why then would someone like him take his own life? I've learned since my brother died that suicide is a medical issue. Someone who attempts it is suffering from a major decrease in seratonin -- a neurotransmitter that helps feed the brain certain "feel good" hormones like endorphins. While some people experience situational depression that is recoverable without the aid of counseling or medication, those suffering from severe clinical depression are in need of outside help. My brother hid his illness until it took his life. We can only gather that concern about "showing weakness" kept him from seeking medical help that quite possibly could have saved his life. On the other hand, there are those who have been on medications or in therapy and still take their lives. Which proves the medical and science communities have further to go in pinpointing the area of the brain to correct, and the types of medication and proper dosages that work. Of course, talk therapy is extremely beneficial, as it guides sufferers and shows them how to better handle the issues that exacerbate their depressed mode. The problem with mental illness is that there remains tremendous stigma. People are embarrassed to say, "I need a little help over here," when it comes to a mental issue, yet they wisely see a doctor for a broken bone or chest pains. Suicide rates will decrease when more people understand that mental health is a medical issue, and that not everyone can just "snap out of it." |
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