Suicide survivor turns her life around and advocates for mental health with road signs

Trigger Warning: The following story contains mention of suicide which might be disturbing to readers.

Encountering difficult times in life often puts us in a very negative headspace that affects our mental health so much that it seems like there is no way out. However, sometimes we just need to look beyond. With patience and faith, all we have to do is focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes while you’re busy struggling to find hope, you forget that perhaps your story is destined to be the hope for those weary of trials. Fonda Bryant realized how she was called to be the hope for several others through narrating her story of wanting to end her life. The middle-aged woman and mother shared with USA Today how she once was the one who wanted to end her life and eventually gained the strength to completely turn her life around.

She mentioned that she was a single mother working full-time and that her financial situation was not good. Bryant said, “Who wants to go and put that out there, that you have a mental health condition when we can lose our jobs? So that's why we don't say anything." She highlighted the partiality between mental and physical health conditions and how that was an active factor in her former decision to commit suicide. Bryant was stifled with pain that wouldn’t go away and society was not much help.

It was her aunt who astutely handled the situation. When Bryant called her aunt to ask her if she wanted her shoes, her aunt felt something was off. Bryant recalled her conversation with her aunt. "She said, 'Are you gonna kill yourself?’ And I said, 'Yes.' And she went into action, like a superhero. And she saved my life." However, that effect soon wore off, her initial struggles that were buried resurfaced in 2014 when she was faced with another desire to end her life. Bryant revealed that when she got laid off from a job that year one night, she drove off to a parking deck to jump and get everything over with.

Against all odds, a voice spoke to her to get back in her car and she changed her mind with tears collapsing as she drove home. With her dreadful experience of being alone and having no one in the most despairing moments, Bryant started her campaign so no one had to feel like her. She started putting up signs that read, “You're not alone. Need help?” This was coupled with a hotline number and was displayed on all garages in North Carolina. Soon, her goodwill spread to bring hope to the weary. Senator Paul Feeney introduced a bill, “The Fonda Bryant Suicide Prevention Signage Act.”

Bryant is hopeful that it will be passed in September which marks 'Suicide Prevention Month.’ Her social media page @proudmom72 reflects the life she has lived after being inspired to be the hope to others. Recently, she also shared a post explaining that she’s putting up new signs for suicide prevention and to keep others from making the drastically heart-breaking decision to end their lives. She continues to be the light for others drawing them out of darkness with her posts and inspiration. Her life itself serves as the revelation that it’s never over, only one step away from a new beginning but the choice is yours.