Doc.
That call from that patient was a turning point for me.
It's when I realized that I could help veterans stay alive
by helping them construct safety plans.
This entire program, Project Life Force,
started with that phone call
Most suicide prevention work is done individually.
So it's you with a client.
That's not this.
This is done in a group format.
And the group is the magic ingredient because veterans are used to working
in life and death situations, and they don't leave any veteran behind.
And so in this group, that unit mentality resurfaced again.
Patients were coming not for themselves.
They were coming to make sure the other people in the group were OK.
Tyler is a veteran
who went through the Project Life Force program and really benefited.
He was a leader for the other patients to look up to.
One day after my wife had gone to work and my kids went to school,
I really felt like a burden on other people.
I mean, truly you know.
Like I would do everybody else a favor and, you know, and not be here.
So, you know, I made
a attempt to take my own life and
for whatever reason,
my wife happened to come home at that
same time.
To do that, you have to be suffering
so bad, like the pain must be so unbearable.
So I think for me, like, it's been unbearable
to watch him.
If that's not a wake up call, you know,
I don't know what is, but many years passed.
I ended up in several outpatient treatment facilities.
And then the worst part was coming home.
The disappointment on everyone's faces you failed again.
I questioned everything because I could not even you know, I can't guarantee
my kids that I'm not going to do this again.
They wanted me to go get help.
Hearing it from my kids was upsetting and eye-opening.
It was the motivation that I needed.
Veterans are not alone.
They just have to know how to ask for help.
When you're on the verge of hurting yourself, you're not thinking rationally.
You actually need instructions what to do.
The safety plan.
It provides a framework by which to lead your life when you're having a rough time.
We worked on the plan together as a group.
It was like that missing piece.
The safety plan shows you on paper why you're doing this.
You know, it's not just for yourself it's for your family.
When you hear somebody else's story, it's comforting to know
that you're not the only one going through these things right now.
I could actually see him changing.
When he was having a hard time he actually was using
some of the things that he learned.
We've had seventy five, eighty people who have come through the project,
and we've seen quite a lot of success stories.
They are no longer feeling suicidal.
They've got a plan and they're building a life that's worth living.
Since going through Project Life Force,
I just feel like I have more control of my life.
It made me want to become a better person.
Like everybody, you know, I wanted to be happy.
I just wanted peace.
Took me forty two years to find that out.
But I did, you know.
Getting results like this
is why I wake up in the morning.
I love veterans.
They've risked their lives to save me.
The best I can do is
try to give them their life back.