Welcome back to The Code of Style and this article about one man’s search for the stranger who saved his life.
Mark Henick never stopped thinking about the man who saved him from a suicide attempt as a teenager, and his search for the “man in the brown jacket” who saved him resulted in their remarkable reunion many years later.
By age 15, depression and anxiety had taken their toll on Mark Henick. Clinging to an outside girder on an overpass in 2003, a deeply troubled Henick made the only decision he thought he could. And he let go.
His saviour “in the brown jacket”, Mike Richey was driving to his midnight shift at a facility for at-risk youth in remote Cape Breton, Canada, when he noticed the lone figure clinging to the rail, and even though he had no suicide intervention training, he knew he had to at least try to save him. When the boy suddenly let go, Richey grabbed him, pulling him back over the rail and the emergency workers took over from there. Richey was left haunted by what had happened, and had no way of knowing if Henick was OK after the event, until over a decade later when they were reunited in 2015! Since then, their friendship has grown — Richey is even godfather to Henick’s second son.
The “stranger in the light brown jacket,” as Henick came to think of his saviour, became an inspiration, and that night became a turning point in his life.
Henick’s new book, “So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience“, is a moving, ultimately triumphant story of perseverance that Henick hopes will give rise to real conversations about suicide. “So-Called Normal” is a No. 1 Amazon Best Seller in the USA and Canada.
In his newly released book, Henik aims to break the relentless stigma of mental illness through his candid, intensely personal account of his youth, the events that led to that fateful night on the bridge, and the experiences and transformation that followed. Henick takes readers inside the mind of a boy who had to deal with the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, an abusive stepfather, bullying and trauma — all while trying to navigate his progressively worsening mental health. In the backdrop is a community that didn’t talk about mental illness, one where silence and maintaining the comforts of “normal” was paramount.
So-Called Normal is a vital, triumphant story of perseverance and recovery that has already touched the hearts of many, including television personality Rosie O’Donnell.
“Mark Henick is a powerful storyteller. His vivid account of his early years as a depressed, suicidal teenager is a page-turner. So-Called Normal is beautifully written, heart-wrenching, and hopeful. Necessary reading for anyone who wants a peek inside the mind of someone who journeyed through mental illness and found hope on the other side,”
Rosie O’Donnell
Author Mark Henick’s TEDx talk, “Why We Choose Suicide”, is one of the most watched in the world and has been viewed millions of times. His search for “the man in the brown jacket” whose bravery and strong arms kept him from falling to his death went viral around the world (and his search was successful!).
Henick has been on television and radio and has written many articles on mental health. He has hosted more than 60 intimate conversations about mental health with notable public figures and celebrities on his podcast, “So-Called Normal”, and has executive produced and hosted the Living Well podcast for Morneau Shepell.
He has also has served on the board of directors for the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and was the president of a provincial division of the Canadian Mental Health Association — the youngest person in either role. He has worked as a frontline clinician, a program manager and the national director of strategic initiatives for CMHA. Currently the CEO and principal strategist for Strategic Mental Health Consulting, Mark Henick is in high demand as an international keynote speaker on mental health recovery.
To watch Henick’s powerful TEDx talk, please click here.
I hope you enjoyed this article about Mark Henik, and one man’s search for the stranger who saved his life.
I’m Julia, the Senior Managing Editor and I can’t wait to share some more articles with you again soon! In the meantime you can find more inspiration on my blog “The Velvet Runway” and you can find out more about my Style, Confidence and Success Coaching here.
Thank you for reading
Julia Rees Coaching.com , Instagram @julia.rees_
For more information, please visit www.markhenick.com or connect with the author on the following social media sites: www.facebook.com/markhenick/; https://twitter.com/markhenick; and www.youtube.com/markhenick.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
