Twelve years ago, Mark Henick stood on the edge of a Cape Breton overpass, ready to end his life, when a stranger appeared and talked him back down to safety.

Henick was just 15 years old at the time.

鈥淗e didn鈥檛 come up and try to say any magic words,鈥� Henick remembered.

But whatever the man had said, it worked. Henick became a successful mental health worker, and now shares his stories with others to help those struggling with depression.

Last month, Henick shared his story with Canada AM during #BellLetsTalkDay, hoping to discover the identity of the man who saved his life.

 

 

That stranger was Mike Richey. When he met Henick, Richey was then 25 years old, and just starting out as a crisis counsellor.

鈥淚 was walking on egg shells a little bit with what I chose to say to him,鈥� he said.

鈥淎nd I always wondered what happened to that boy.鈥�

Richey first heard Henick鈥檚 story in a TEDx talk. And then when he heard about Henick鈥檚 appearance on Canada AM, he decided to send him a video message.

鈥淚 never knew you could feel so proud of someone you spent so little time with,鈥� he says in the video.

They鈥檝e since made plans to meet face to face, both nervous about what to say.

鈥淚 think we鈥檒l both know what this meant to us,鈥� Henick said.

With a report from CTV鈥檚 Todd Battis in Halifax