I hated who I was. I felt like it was so painful that I couldn’t go on. I was drowning slowly
everyday. I felt like I was better off not being here. - Dan Price.
On December 4th, 2014 Dan Price’s life hung in the balance. Literally.
A security guard noticed him walking- heavily intoxicated- along a railing on the other side of a safety fence that spanned the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It brought traffic to a halt. Emergency response personnel were summoned. Much of the incident was caught on film and there are several harrowing images of him clinging to the fence, suddenly aware of how precarious his situation was. Eventually, Price was helped to safety. Before his suicide attempt his life had slowly unraveled. He battled debilitating depression and anxiety for years. He wasn’t doing much talking about his struggles. Ultimately, a driving force in his compulsion to scale the safety wall that day and engage in a tightrope dance with death was his silence.
As a fellow survivor from my own suicide attempt off the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000, I empathize with the feelings of loneliness and desperation that are the hallmarks of suicidal ideation. I thought I was alone in the world. I couldn’t bring myself to talk about my issues much less ask for help. Not from people in my life. Not from strangers on the San Francisco transit bus as I made my way to what I thought would be my final destination. Not from anyone. When asked about that day and how he reflects on the meaning Price has said it was my rock bottom.
Mental illness is a silent disease. And it’s a silent killer. So what are the driving forces in his life since that fateful day? Dan’s primary focus is to talk about his struggle and how he coped in the face of mental illness. He asserts that a major part of his recovery and treatment has been to set up a wellnes plan based on communication with his support network, a regimen of consistent physical training, mindfulness, interpersonal connection, medication and lastly being willing to talk candidly when in pain. Even when things get tough and your mind is telling you to do the opposite.
These days Dan spends a bulk of his time dedicated to mental health, wellness, and suicide prevention awareness as both a speaker and advocate. He’s been involved in the Australian foundation LIVIN’ which is designed to help youth and others in the community overcome challenges associated with mental illness and the manifestations of it- anxiety, depression, everything. He’s also recently become a member of our #CNQRCollective (pronounced ‘conquer’, as in CNQR your pain, struggles, worries, and battles) based out of Atlanta, GA. He’s signed on to handle business development and outreach for the organization.
Dan has partnered with me on some of my upcoming speaking engagemets spreading a message of hope, while helping people heal. We along with many other advocates from around the world continue to tour the United States, and the rest of the globe. Infact I saw 8 countries last year alone.
We’ve had the ability to speak up, speak well, and speak often. Each day we stand tall and talk about the struggles of our respective lives and how we’ve worked HARD to overcome them. My severe Bipolar Disorder will NOT stop me, and Dan’s diagnosis will not stop him. Nor will it stop the rest of the #CNQRCollective in their works, here in the states, at their homes across the globe, or in the charities, programs, and endeavors they all serve on their own capacity. We believe in the motto #TogetherWeWill. Not can, but will reach #ZeroSuicide. We work well together, and apart. We support each other mentally, and emotionally. Although we cannot always be in the same places at the same time our missions clearly align. Our goals connect, they are ultimately to share our ability to find hope in times of darkness with the world. We focus on various topics related to mental illness, wellness in the workplace, and suicide prevention, just to name a few. Each of us every day works to help people become mentally, physically, and emotionally well.
For more information about the LIVIN organization and their goals in the community as they
apply to mental health and wellness click here:
For more information on the CNQR Collective, including upcoming events and booking
information for other social disruptors who want to change the way we approach and treat
mental illness please navigate here:
Whatever you are going through, whatever you’ve been through, please, please, please #BeHereTomorrow with the help of others and the acceptance to help yourself- no matter what.
For some amazing video mental health content, please navigate to 17th & Montgomery Productions.