It was more than two years ago when Brandon Saho first tweeted about wanting a sign for suicide prevention at the Roebling Bridge. Now, after a lengthy process for government approval, Kentucky has created a standard sign that can be used anywhere around the state.
“I've been that person on a bridge wanting to take my own life because I didn't think I'd ever be happy,” Saho said. “I didn't have any hope.”
Saho is the founder of The Mental Game, a podcast on mental health, which he started after working through his own depression. The former WLWT-TV sports reporter now features athletes, musicians, comedians and other celebrities on his podcast and does other advocacy work for mental health awareness.
One of those projects has been the new sign on the Roebling Bridge.
“For me, that is where I struggled the most and had my suicidal thoughts and rock-bottom moments,” Saho said.
To get the sign, Saho worked with Jake Ryle. Now a public information officer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Ryle also worked in TV and, like Saho, has become an advocate for de-stigmatizing conversations around mental health.
“I've been waiting for today for a long time,” Ryle said in a social media post announcing the new signage.
There is no national standard design for a suicide prevention sign, so the cabinet made one.
Spokesperson Allen Blair said the sign is a uniform design for Kentucky bridges, which the state will install when requested by local governments, advocacy groups and citizens.
“To help those in crisis, the Transportation Cabinet may install suicide prevention signage on state-owned bridges used by pedestrians,” Blair said in an email to WVXU. “The signs include a message of hope and the 988-dialing code to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, encouraging those in need to seek help from a trained professional.”
They’ve now installed 10 signs in Northern Kentucky — four on the Roebling Suspension Bridge, four on the Taylor Southgate Bridge and two on the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge.
Approving a standard sign means that the next time one is requested, people won’t have to wait two years like Saho did to see it installed.
“I'd rather it take two years then never go up at all,” Saho said.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
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