On March 11 2005, Kevin Berthia wanted to take his life. He had climbed over the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge and was prepared to take a fatal jump into the San Francisco Bay when he heard a voice calling out to him from above.
It wasnt the voice of a spiritual presence, but rather that of California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Kevin Briggs. The two talked for 60 life-changing minutes before Berthia decided to climb back up the bridge and give life another chance.
Eight years later, the pair reunited as part of an emotional ceremony honoring Briggs and other members of the CHP whose job is to verbally persuade suicidal men and women from jumping off that bridge.
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In the eight years since their first meeting, Berthia has dramatically turned his life around. He still resides in the Bay Area, home to his darkest of memories, but he has now built a new life for himself, with a successful marriage and two children. He says the time Briggs spent just listening to him forged a connection that helped put him on a path of mental recovery.
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I wanted to meet him again, Briggs said, acknowledging that it was very unusual for him to have contact with any of the hundreds of men and women hes talked down from the bridge over the years. I just said, Its great to see you. He said, My Mom is your No. 1 fan. It was really neat.
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Briggs added, He said that I literally saved his life. I said that he did it himself. He had the courage. Its his call. Its his choosing. People were just coming up to us with tears in their eyes. One of the psychiatrists even hugged me. And thats when it just hit me.
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Now that I have his number, I dont see us never not being friends, Berthia said. We are of such a different age but it never feels like that. Ive shared things with Officer Briggs in those 60 minutes that no one else in the world knows. Its a special bond there.
