A Letter from Mike | Mark Henick

This story had changed my life. I clicked on your Tedx video by chance and it reached me in a way that no psychiatrist or psychologist could. This follow up video has been such an inspiration to me. I still struggle with my mental illness today. However, seeing you read this letter gives me so much hope for the future. I've slowly been trying to become an advocate for mental health as well as pursue a career in the field. I have plans for the future now. I want to help people avoid the mental state I was in too many times. I know I'll change the world. If not the whole world, a single individual's world... to reach someone in a way that you reached me. That would be enough. Thank you so much!

Perfect example of the butterfly effect. Amazing how one act of kindness has made the world a better place for so many. Both of you are heroes in my book.

Hey Mark, I dont know if you'll ever read this but i thought to give it a try. Last year in December i was about to "do" (not comitting) suicide, as i was alone at home and felt it was the oportunity. So i searched ways to do it on the internet, and i still don't know how your video popped up (sorry if my english is bad). I watched it in tears and i stood there for like what it seemed hours. My mom came and i told her how i felt, that i wanted to kill myself. She immediately searched for psychologists until we found one that i think understands me. Yesterday i was feeling the same and searched for your video again. And here i am, hanging on one more day thanks to you. You may not know it but you saved my life, a day in December

Be Mark when he is happy. I like Happy Mark.

Aww.. Mark, it was so brave of you to share this with us, and how touching that the two of you have finally connected. :-) This man is truly a hero for you and for all of us, so glad you found him. Hugs!

First of all, I want to tell you how much you and your videos have helped me in the depths of my own struggles with my mental illnesses and suicidal thoughts. I watched your Ted Talk for the first time around August of last year, a little over two months after I moved 600 miles away from the city that I grew up in. I left behind my friends; secretly loved ones; the only people that I would ever dream of telling anything about my several mental illnesses at the time; my entire life.  Nobody talked to me at school. I had already had social anxiety back in my old life, but now it was magnified to the point of breaking me in that lunchroom. Nobody talked to the new girl. Everybody gave me weird looks. My homework workload was of decent size, and hard to manage when you're always at in ballet class. My parents were disappointed in me, and I hated myself for my procrastination. At my dance studio, I was placed in a level far below my age group. I was considered a good dancer in my old city. I loved ballet. And six days a week, I went to that studio, was made fun of, made to feel like I was stupid, made me feel like I was a failure at doing the thing that I loved. I hated myself. Sometimes I still wonder how I managed to keep telling myself "I'll hang in there just one more day." I kept watching your ted talk, with increasing frequencies, made anonymous account on twitter to vent about my anorexia, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, ocd, and suicidal thoughts. In early December, I had my first real mental breakdown. If I hadn't been at school, I'm not sure if I would have lived to see 2015. And the next time I watched your ted talk, I realized that I had experienced exactly what you described of a collapsed perception. My mind WAS running, screaming, collapsing in on itself. I finally realized that I wasn't alone. I will forever thank you for that. Today I cried with you, and I wanted to reach out to you, tell you again that you made it. You have decided that now it's your turn to save lives. This video has finally been real proof to be how much you can recover. Thank you, and I hope that you will be able to look back at your life and be satisfied by how many people's lives you have saved.

This warms and breaks my heart at the same time

Bravo for sharing! Thank you.

I watched your Tedx video for what seemed like the 20-30th time a couple months ago. It was the only thing that gave me hope to keep on living late at night when suicide was the only thing on my mind. Unfortunately that night my perception was broken and shortly after watching the video i proceeded to grab a bottle of Advil and swallow at least 15 pills. It wasn't enough and sadly I don't regret it other than I woke up the next day. I did eventually seek out for help and got some, even thought it doesn't seem to be working. Tonight is like that night months ago except I know how to succeed this time. I decide to watch your tedx video one more time and it led me here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this video is my light brown jacketed man. You saved my life tonight with this video, thank you. And thank you for putting things like this into the world.

I'm here to thank you about what you say in Ted talk. I was listening to it in my weakest time. I felt that I was not the only one. I felt like you felt it too. People are not understanding and that is so painful. Thank you Mark Henick.

I want to thank you Mark for once again being vulnerable to the outside world and sharing yet another piece of the man that you've become.  We are all so very proud of you, for just being you. To Mike: I don't know if you'll truly understand the extent of what you did for this young boy or the overwhelming gratitude that we have all felt for the man in the light brown jacket, for all of these years.  You were meant to be on that overpass that night.  And we can't thank you enough!  God Bless

Mark I Have Not Met You But Some Day I Hope To I know a Member Of Your Family and I am So Thankful that You are inspiring others to seek help God Bless.

Maybe you will never read this but you have inspire me and your ted speech kept me alive so far. Thank you

Your speech in TEDx brought me here. It was against all sound/logical facts that a person like you, would once have felt not enough. And it made me see, how the outer world might look back at us. I'm glad you are still here, and that things are wonderfully working for you... And I pray you will always feel good, because at the end , we can't escape the fact, that emotions are "the one" who have the grip :). Plz keep us updated with meeting Mike .

im glad things worked out for you and you're still here,thanks to the man in the brown coat,Mike. i watched this video and the TedEx one as well,you're a very good speaker. Take care and i'll be watching for updates. :)

Hey Mark, That's a wonderful video, thanks for sharing, real tears here bro. Faith in humanity reaffirmed :)

Thank you so much, Mark. You've given me motivation and I really appreciate you sharing your story. You were meant to survive that night and I'm glad you did.

Mark.....just had a good cathartic cry watching this!! You are a brave young man to share your pain and joy with others.So glad that Mike was there when you needed him most!

Thank you Mike. Mark what an amazing story of how deeply two strangers have touched each other. I hope you keep posting video. Thanks for sharing.

Mark I am not easy to impress but well you did impress me! Thank you for your courage. You are inspiring to me.