It was 2:37 in the morning - a lonely hour.

Sam had attempted suicide before. Ten years earlier, his father had intervened and saved Sam's life.

Now, he was struggling again. He pondered his life and the potential consequences of his decision, and thought about leaving his fiancé and their unborn son alone. He reached for his cell phone.

The line rang at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.  Ophelia, a Crisis Specialist, answered.

She got Sam talking.

He was an Army veteran, he said. He had a disability because of chronic seizures, and was living with his fiancé and her brother. The main reason he was thinking of taking his life was because he feared he would hurt his newborn son if he had a seizure while holding him.

Ophelia reinforced that it was important for Sam to be there for his fiancé so they could raise their son together. They developed a safety plan to reduce his risk of suicidal thoughts. Ophelia also connected him with the Crisis Center's Care Coordination Program.

Sam's Care Coordinator, Kelli, contacted him the next day and went through his safety plan. It included self-care activities, reaching out to family and friends, and a referral to a therapist. She even helped connect Sam to an organization that could provide a service dog that would detect when he was going to experience a seizure.

Today, Sam is feeling much better. Considered at the highest risk level to take his own life the night he called the Crisis Center, he now is at the lowest risk level. He has resources and coping skills to help him with his physical and mental health struggles.

Your investment in the Crisis Center allows people such as Sam to receive help, hope and healing 24 hours a day through a simple phone call. You can learn more about how the Crisis Center changes lives by joining us for a 60-minute lunchtime tour. To see a list of tour dates, please click HERE.