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Extreme generosity
Blog: Young man saved from suicide donates Christmas presents to SpunOut.ie.
When Chris Boyle opened his presents on Christmas morning he was one of the happiest people in Ireland. He knew how lucky he was to be alive as only one month earlier he had tried to take his own life because he was unable to accept he was gay.
He credits SpunOut.ie, with saving his life, and to say thanks he decided to put his presents on ebay and donate the money to SpunOut.ie.
He said: "I remember sitting opening my presents and thinking that there wouldn't have been a Christmas this year if I had killed myself. I thought about the things that I didn't really need, so I decided to sell them on ebay and give the money to SpunOut.ie as a way of saying thanks for being there and of helping other young people."
Recently, as he struggled with his sexuality, Chris pushed his friends and family away and became extremely depressed. Tormented by his secret and all alone without any support, he tried to take his life because he wanted to "save my family from the shame of having a gay son." He picked out the clothes he wished to be buried in and wrote a letter to his parents.
Later that evening he went online and confided in a friend about his plans. His friend persuaded him to check out SpunOut.ie and Chris believes this is what saved his life.
"Never before would I have thought that a website could save my life. Never before did I think that words on a screen could have the power to totally change everything.”
"An article by Ian Howley called 'From Nightmare to Survival' saved me. The emotion and power of it was unbelievable, and he made me realise that I am the only person who can change my life. After reading it I decided to give my life one more go. I unpacked my clothes and I burned my note."
Ian, a Project Worker at SpunOut.ie, previously overcame his own battles with depression and now runs an outreach programme targeting young people in distress.
He was encouraged to confide in his family after reading about other people's struggles on SpunOut.ie.
"I just blabbed it all out and broke down crying. My mother wrapped her arms around me and wouldn't let go, and dad started crying. They couldn't believe that I was going to end my life over my sexuality. They said they didn't care about me being gay and that anyone who had a problem with it would have to deal with them."
Chris hopes his gesture will raise some awareness about SpunOut.ie which will in turn help others who are thinking of taking their lives.
"It's my way of saying thank you to the organisation for being there and helping me realise who I wanted to be. The last few years have been tough as I had to figure out my sexuality alone, SpunOut.ie has really helped me and I urge people going through a tough time to check it out."
By: Marie Duffy