Praise for radio host who kept suicidal caller on phone until ambulance arrived
Radio host Iain Lee has been credited with helping save a man’s life after keeping a suicidal caller on the line for 30 minutes until an ambulance arrived.
The man, whose name was only given as Chris, called into Lee’s talkRadio show on Wednesday and said he had taken an overdose after suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lee (pictured), who appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2017, asked Chris a series of questions to work out where he was.
Chris, who said he was nearly 60, said he was close to a nightclub in Plymouth. While emergency services made their way to the scene, Lee stayed on the line offering words of reassurance to Chris, who sounded incoherent and was slurring his words.
During the exchange on his Late Night Alternative show, Lee said: “Chris, I love you brother, you deserve better than this. You deserve better than this, and whatever has happened, I promise you it can be sorted. I guarantee that whatever has happened, it can be sorted out.
“It might not be easy, but it can be sorted, I promise you. It is better than you doing this.”
After nearly 30 minutes, a police officer came on to the line and told Lee they had found the man. The DJ broke down at the news.
After the incident, he tweeted: “Tonight we took a call from a man who had taken an overdose. He was lying in a street in Plymouth, dying.
“We managed to keep him online, get a description of what he looked like and was wearing, work out where he was, and send an ambulance and police to him. Kept him on the phone for 30 minutes while he got harder to understand.
“Long periods of silence where I thought he’d died. F***, that was intense and upsetting. Thanks for your kind words. I really hope he makes it.”
Speaking on Thursday, Lee said: “Thanks everyone for your kind words. Been an odd day for so many reasons. I really appreciate your kind words.”
If you are experiencing difficulties, you can contact Samaritans UK on 116 123 or by emailing [email protected]
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2018, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Danny Lawson / PA Wire.
