Student, 20, Tracks Down The Kind Stranger Who Stopped Her Taking Her Own Life

The fast-thinking father-of-two who saved her from taking her own life by falling off a bridge has been tracked down by a first-year undergraduate. Last January, Jess Paramor, then 19, was about to hop in Maidstone, Kent, when Tony Witton, 56, spoke to her from the corner. Four days later, the mentally ill student returned to the same place to take her own life, only to be saved by a second man and his wife on their way home from the cinema.

Ms Paramor, now healed, is studying medicinal science at Lincoln University and aims to develop psychiatric medicine in the future. After launching a search on Facebook to identify the kind people who had guided her during her darkest times, she was reunited with Mr Witton, a boss at Kent County Council.

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Ms Paramor said: 'For others in a similar situation, I would say what they are feeling is valid and they deserve help for that, even if they feel like they don't deserve it.

'There is light at the end of the tunnel even if it seems impossible to find. There is always someone who will be trying to hold a torch for you if you let them in.' 

'I have never felt more stable in myself than I have now and I just wanted to reach out and to let them know how far I have come and to thank them for giving me my future.

'I found both men who saved me. Neither of them is on Facebook so it was through the power of friends and family.

'Since then, I have had calls with each of them. They were both choked up to hear I was okay and that I was at university doing so well for myself. And they are both grateful that I am still here.'

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Ms Paramor was treated by a mental health specialist at Priority House in Maidstone after the suicide attempt on January 11, 2020. The student has a bipolar personality disorder, depression, anxiety, high functioning autism and ADHD, also from Maidstone.

Yet she was able to reassure health providers that she should be treated rather than hospitalized in the neighbourhood. She returned to the same place four days later, still trying to take her own life, when a second man and his wife interfered on their way home from the cinema. She was then sectioned and remained for two weeks at the Priority House.

With the help of private speaking therapy and NHS psychological speaking therapy, Ms Paramor has since progressed over time. In Chatham, she also attended an art therapy workshop and was given a more reliable mix of drugs. She now hopes to work in the pharmacy business to improve and optimize psychiatric treatment following a first-hand understanding of its side effects.

Mr Witton said that when he saw the suicidal girl on a bridge, he was heading to a nearby McDonald's and went over to ask if she was all right. He took her hand and asked Ms Paramor to tell him a little bit about herself while assisting her to get back to safety, and they called the police.

The father-of-two said: 'The dad in me came out. I have got two daughters who are probably of a similar age. I didn't have to think about it, I just thought I could protect her and she had to be safe.

'I just went up to ask if she was okay. She said she wasn't so I said 'talk to me about that.' I just held hands with her and put my hands around her. We were chatting about her friends and her interests.'

Mr Witton, from Maidstone, said he had just read the memoir Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig, which outlines the author's suicide victory. Mr Witton found that Ms Paramor was still reading the book during what he described as an emotional phone call. Mr Witton said: 'I had just read a book called Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig. 

'He's a long-term sufferer with depression and at one stage wanted to commit suicide. When I spoke to Jess a couple of days ago she said she'd read that book.

'It was quite emotional. I don't suppose I had thought about what I had done and she said to me thanks for saving my life and for giving me a future.'

After speaking with Ms Paramor on the phone, Mr Witton said: 'I was a bit nervous but pleased. I have often thought about her, hoping she was okay.

'The fact Jess is putting energy into developing more effective medicine at uni is just incredible.'