Jason's Story

The phone rang just as crisis worker Andrea was reaching for her coat at the end of her shift.  Recognizing Jason's voice, she sat down again.  Jason had been calling almost daily over the past several weeks, his calls typically lasting for hours.  In the past year his wife and son had left him, he was facing a potentially terminal illness, and he was about to lose his home.  He was mentally ill and at high risk for suicide, and our CRISISline workers had all spent time patiently listening to his problems, acknowledging his feelings, and working to reduce his stress level.

Andrea invited Jason, as always, to talk, even though she knew she would be there, listening to him, for hours.  But this call turned out to be different.  Jason told Andrea that he believed CRISISline had saved his life.  He didn't want to tie up the line - he wanted to say "thank you!"  He said he could now envision a future for himself.  Life events had led him down a path that seemed hopeless, but CRISISline had helped him to see things differently.  "For now," Jason said, "I'm staying here."

And Andrea went home, knowing she had helped to save another life.  In 2012 CRISISline offered compassion and healing listening on more than 11,000 calls.  Jason was just one of those callers.