Her mother jumped on a bridge with her when she was a baby: when she discovered him, she made a radical decision

After surviving, the girl was brought up by her grandparents who hid the truth until the age of 17.

The life of Bertha Loaiza She dramatically changed at age 17 when she learned that her mother had died after being thrown from a bridge with her in his arms. She, who was only 3 years old at the time, was raised by her grandparents who hid the truth for as long as possible.

After learning the truth, Bertha he understood that a person's depression also affected his family and, for that reason, he decided to devote his life to promoting mental health among Latinos living in the United States.

On August 4, 1985, Angélica Gómez pbaded out of the void. Coronado Bridge, in San Diego, California. When the 24-year-old jumped nearly 75 meters (246 feet) up to the ocean, she held her daughter in her arms. Two fishermen saw the scene and tried to save them, although only the baby answered the first aid.

Bertha He fractured his hip and had a problem in his right eye. Today & # 39; hui, she does not remember that at that time, she called herself "the miracle child" and that she had received letters of support from almost all the country, in which she wished him a speedy recovery.

The researchers said the woman was suffering from severe depression, probably due to a divorce. However, none of these details have been revealed to Loaiza in his childhood, since he has lived a childhood and adolescence surrounded by the love of his maternal grandparents and an aunt.

"I grew up thinking that my mother had died in a car accident," insured Loiza in an interview and added. "My story is a miracle and I think this miracle can be repeated in many families, you have to seek help."

At 17 years old, Bertha found a recording with the news reports of the event. "There was a lot of confusion, courage, I felt guilty as well, my family apologized and I realized it was a good time to find out," he explained.

In the following years, Loaiza He needed a therapy to understand the fact and understand that depression was a difficult disease to see. "It's not like cancer, you can diagnose the severity of the problem, here you can commit suicide and no one has noticed"he maintained.

Ten years after knowing her past, the woman began to think that her story had one goal: to become a defender of mental health, especially among Latinos. Loaiza knows that for Hispanics, the problem is still taboo.

"It's not like cancer, you can diagnose the severity of the problem, here you can commit suicide and no one has noticed",

The process of publicly explaining and encouraging others cost him a few more years, but the courage has come and his work begins where his mother's life ended, in the Coronado Bridge. Hispanics joined the organization Coronado San Diego Collaborative for Suicide Prevention and he shared his story to promote the construction of barriers at this location.

In learning, the Latina has the support of her husband and children, aged eleven and seven, with whom she spoke about the subject and how she wanted to make a difference. "There are ways to talk to and educate children about this issue because we have a lot to do in the area of ​​teen suicide prevention," warns

The call of Bertha It is to eliminate the stigma badociated with mental illness, to promote the importance of talking about depression and suicide and to show how the search for help can save lives. of a whole family.

"I hope my story motivates Latinos to discover the signs of depression and suicide and to know that there is help." concluded Loaiza. Source: TN

Concussion: A 9-year-old girl has committed suicide after her mother took her mobile phone