Kevin Hines, bestselling author; suicide prevention & mental health advocate
Topic: “Cracked Not Broken: The Kevin Hines Story”
Location: Ballroom, Nittany Lion Inn
Introduction: Eric Barron
Moderator: Patty Satalia
Kevin Hines is an award-winning global speaker, bestselling author, documentary filmmaker, and suicide prevention and mental health advocate who has reached millions with his story of an unlikely survival and his strong will to live (www.kevinhinesstory.com). Two years after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he attempted to take his life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge.
He is one of only thirty-four (less than 1%) to survive the fall and he is the only Golden Gate Bridge jump survivor who is actively spreading the message of living mentally healthy internationally.
In the summer of 2013, Kevin released his bestselling memoir titled Cracked Not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt.
He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health. Kevin has also been awarded by SAMSHA as a Voice Awards Fellow and Award Winner, an Achievement Winner by the US Veterans Affairs and is a recipient of several military Medals.
Kevin sits on the boards of The International Bipolar Foundation, The Bridge Rail Foundation (BRF), The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s Consumer Survivors Sub-Committee and The Mental Health Association of San Francisco (MHASF). Kevin has spoken and testified in congressional hearings alongside Patrick Kennedy in support of the Mental Health Parity Bill. He has been a powerful voice for the lived experience movement for over 15 years.
Kevin’s will to live and stay mentally well has inspired people worldwide. His compelling story has touched diverse, global audiences within colleges and universities, high schools, corporations, clergy, military, clinicians, health and medical communities, law enforcement organizations, and various conferences. Thousands have communicated to Hines that his story helped save their lives.
His story was featured in the 2006 critically-acclaimed film “The Bridge” by the film director and producer Eric Steel. He has been featured on CNN, Fox, Time Magazine, Newsweek, Vanity Fair, Good Morning America, BBC World, among several other international media outlets.
Kevin believes in the power of the human spirit and in the fact that you can find the ability to live mentally well. His mantra: “Life is a gift, that is why they call it the present. Cherish it always.”