Kevin Hines: Mental Health Advocate, Best Selling Author, Survivor

<div>“Life is a gift, that is why they call it the present. Cherish it always.”<br> That’s the mantra of this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast, Kevin Hines.<br> Kevin attempted to take his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Miraculously, a sea lion kept him afloat until the Coast Guard arrived. He is one of only thirty-six (less than 1%) to survive that fall. He shares his compelling story of hope, healing, and his will to live with Marcus. His story was featured in the 2006 film <em>The Bridge</em> by film director and producer, Eric Steel. Kevin has inspired millions worldwide in the art of wellness and the ability to survive pain with true resilience. “Be here tomorrow...”</div> <br> <div><strong>In this episode you will hear:</strong></div> <ul> <li>My biological parents had me on a diet of Kool-Aid, Coca-Cola, and sour milk.</li> <li>My parents would leave me and my brother unattended to go score and sell drugs. Then Child Protective Services picked us up and put us in foster care.</li> <li>The only time I ever lost faith was when I stood atop the Golden Gate Bridge looking down. I found it on my way down.</li> <li>There’s a high number of suicidal teens who went through foster care. Many were abused and neglected by the ones in place to protect them.</li> <li>[Marcus] “I think the kids that go through it, are the ones who can fix it.”</li> <li>I finally ended up with foster parents who saved my life. They gave me a beautiful childhood.</li> <li>At 17 my brain broke. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and then things got completely out of control.</li> <li>I had auditory hallucinations telling me I had to die.</li> <li>If somebody would have just asked me, I would’ve just told them the truth of my situation.</li> <li>I left a suicide note in my backpack because I wanted my family knows I loved them.</li> <li>When I was still underwater, I thought, “I’m gonna die here and no one's gonna know I don’t want to. No one's gonna know I made a mistake.”</li> <li>On that [Coast Guard] boat, I made a cogniti