Whoever believes that social media sites are all bad has only to read on. Though an ocean divided them, a suicidal 16-year-old from England and a concerned 14-year-old from Canada made a life-saving connection.
After Paige Dayal read a cry for help from a teen named Luke, she took the matter into her own hands and ultimately did some digging until she contacted police in his hometown in Bath.
Paige confessed her concern to her parents. “There’s a boy on my Tumblr account and I really think he’s going to hurt himself. He said that everybody hates him, that he doesn’t have any friends. People are telling him, just go ahead and do it.”
Having taken 16 pills, Luke was on the downward spiral when he posted about his plans to take his own life. Surprisingly he was bated by other users, who suspected a prank. Fortunately for him Paige was online at the time. By the time police who showed up at his doorstep and alerted his parents, Luke had taken 36 pills. He was rushed to hospital where he is getting the help he needs.
As for Luke, he had this to say to his mystery angel: “I am so grateful to the girl who rang the police. Seriously I LOVE YOU.”
There are so, so many others who desperately reach out online. What we need is more teens like Paige, listening and reaching back.
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