What Would You Do To Save a Life?

Okay, the obvious reference here is How to Save a Life, but this isn’t a song from The Fray. It’s a true story about a child in your community. 

Even in one’s own family, a person can experience loneliness. When it gets really bad, you’re only twelve years old and you start having suicidal thoughts. But sharing how you feel and having someone you can trust is a life-saver.

Ariel was receiving mental healthcare due to suicidal ideation. She was at risk for attempting or completing suicide when her therapist identified that a Great Life mentor could be critical to her support team.

It’s not possible for mentors to protect their friend from the ups and downs of their lives. Mentors cannot prevent adversity and daily stress. But, Great Life mentors can positively impact their friend in a number of ways. 

The World Health Organization has identified mentoring as a valid upstream approach to the prevention of youth suicide. As well as being a mental health intervention, Great Life Mentoring is also considered a prevention program, and Great Life mentors are known to be an important protective factor in the lives of children. 

So, Ariel was in desperate need of a friend she could trust, and Amanda was looking for a place to volunteer in her community. They met each other through Great Life Mentoring. 

Once they were matched, Ariel told us there was “an instant connection.” Trust was built over time, as Amanda was faithful to show up for her friend every week. They liked taking walks and talking, visiting the cats at the Humane Society and going to the library. They found that they laughed easily together, and Ariel began to feel connected and supported. 

A year after they met, Amanda said, although she had originally made a twelve-month commitment, she wanted to continue to mentor Ariel. Their relationship had gone to a pretty deep level, and they said it was “hard to imagine life without each other.” 

Ariel had come to trust her mentor and wanted to continue the relationship as well. It was with both laughter and tears that they told us, “we were perfectly matched.” They say they are like sisters, or family, and that they will always be friends. Both their lives have changed. 

Thoughts of suicide have now been years-away from Ariel’s mind. She has grown, developed and found a place in the world where she feels value and belonging, and she has a friend by her side who now knows how it feels to save a life. 

Volunteer to mentor a child and help prevent youth suicide. Follow the links to volunteer in Portland OR or volunteer in Vancouver WA now.