Suicide is a universal epidemic. More than 2000 lives are lost every day worldwide. We hear about these grievous acts after they’ve been committed, but no one talks about the attempts—the lives not yet lost to this devastating event. For every 1 suicide, there are 20 attempts—20 lives at risk. What if we could intervene and stop a suicide before it happened? We created a community through social media that encourages those suffering to #attemptlife instead of suicide, because 1 less suicide attempt means 1 more life saved.

For World Suicide Prevention Day 2015, a small group with limited funds rallied around a powerful idea: to encourage those suffering to live their lives, rather than end their lives. We built a mobile presence and created a hashtag designed to inspire action. Partnering with the International Association for Suicide Prevention, #attemptlife took to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, inviting people to share videos of themselves attempting life. Every brave and fun attempt was a way of reaching out with support and compassion, because making connections with those vulnerable to suicide can actually save lives.

People from across the globe were inspired to make connections and spread the word about suicide prevention. Together, they shared the endless possibilities of what happens if you don’t take your life but live it. With the world’s help, #attemptlife reached more than 10 million impressions, and we’re not stopping there. A collaboration unprecedented in healthcare has begun with Guinness World Records to raise awareness and further the conversation around the worldwide suicide epidemic.