Mayor
Ted Gatsas and the Board of School Committee honored a senior from West High
School for his efforts to prevent a stranger from taking his own life.
The
Manchester Monarchs had just won their game against the Norfolk Admirals, and
the weather was mild enough that 17-year-old Desmond Powell didn’t mind walking
home from the Verizon Wireless Arena. The short walk to the West side on
November 21 around 9:00 pm would have been uneventful, as it had been countless
other times, until Desmond saw the man on the Granite Street Bridge.
“He
was sitting on the railing with his legs on the water side,” Desmond said. “I
heard him muttering to himself, ‘I’m gonna jump, I’m gonna jump.’”
Desmond
was compelled to stop. Once the teenager got the suicidal man’s attention, he kept
talking to try to keep him from following through with his intent.
“I
told him a decision like that doesn’t just affect him, that it affects his
family and friends and everyone who cares about him,” Desmond said. “Even if
he’s going through a rough time, I told him he needs to keep pushing through.
Something positive will happen.”
The
man explained that he was a heroin user and he had gotten high earlier that
day. He said he was afraid his parole officer would find out, and he was
overwhelmed with the troubles he was facing in life.
Another
passerby also had stopped, and with her help, Desmond coaxed the man off the
railing. He was hungry, he said, so they went to the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts
where Desmond gave him ten dollars to buy coffee and a sandwich. When the man
went to use the restroom, Desmond called the police to come pick the man up. The
distraught man overheard the conversation and left.
That
might have been the end of the story if the man hadn’t left his cell phone
charging in the outlet at Dunkin’ Donuts.
“I
saw him run up Dubuque Street, so that gave police an idea of the area he was
in,” Desmond said. “I told them they could come get his phone to give it back
to him when they found him.”
While
Desmond waited, the man returned on his own, with a message of thanks for
Desmond.
“He
said, ‘People like you make me want to stay in this world. Thanks for believing
in me. You saved my life. You’re a hero.’”
Anyone
who knows Desmond isn’t surprised to hear how he reacted in this situation.
“Desmond
is a leader, and I believe he will continue to shape the lives of others around
him,” said West High School principal Chris Motika. “His courage and strong
moral compass will guide him to a lifetime of success.”
A
West football player and Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet, Desmond
says he was raised to care for others and do the right thing.
“If
I hadn’t stopped on the bridge and found out the next day there had been a
suicide, I would have felt very guilty,” Desmond said. “It would be awful to
know I was there and could have done something.”
At
Monday night’s Board of School Committee meeting, Mayor Gatsas read a
proclamation commending Desmond for his act of courage and caring.
“Desmond
is a role model for all of us,” said Mayor Gatsas. “When someone in our
community is in trouble, we should think about the ways we can help.”
As
for that man who was in so much distress he wanted to end his life, Desmond
doesn’t know what happened to him after the police and an ambulance arrived on
Granite Street to attend to him.
“I
didn’t even get the guy’s name, but I hope he’s doing all right.”
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