At the age of 21, Ryan York attempted to take his own life.
“It was one of the darkest moments of my life,” York said. “I struggled with that for a number of years.”
Now 31, the Weyburn, Sask., native is sharing his story with the hopes of reaching as many people as possible.
York recently released a video on YouTube highlighting his struggle.
“It’s a way of inspiring people to try and reach out for help in the early stages and to not be ashamed of having those feelings,” York said.
“I hit the lowest point you can possibly go and I was able to bounce back from it.”
York said it didn’t come without the help of the people around him.
“I was expecting to have a lot of people judge me and a lot of people not understand what I had done,” York said.
“But so many people were, ‘you know what? I am sorry that it happened and sorry that I didn’t see it earlier.’”
York is a bench jeweler, someone who makes and repairs jewelry, at his family’s shop in Weyburn. He is using his skill to raise money to support mental health — selling handcrafted pendants with a portion of the proceeds going to the Envision Counselling and Support Centre.
“They are an amazing counseling service for pretty much anybody who needs helps. They’ve helped me before so that was a perfect place to donate some of the money from all the pendants I am selling,” York said.
Envision has offices in Estevan, Carlyle, Weyburn and Oxbow, servicing rural areas of southern Saskatchewan.
“Our numbers have grown a lot over the past couple of years and I think people are recognizing they don’t have to do things alone,” Envision’s executive director Christa Daku said.
Daku said she is extremely grateful for what York is doing and his willingness to give back.
“I think it’s a phenomenal thing that he is doing to raise awareness. He’s giving back to us in a significant way to help support people with mental health issues,” Daku said.
York said he has already sold more than 80 pendants in less than a week and has raised $400, as of Friday.
“I can’t really put it into words how amazing it’s been and how many people have reached out to me personally,” York said. “I hope this is something that will keep going forever.”
For more information regarding York’s story and his pendants click here.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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