Clyde 2 radio host Ewen Cameron has shared a heartwarming story with fans in a bid to raise awareness about mental health.
The Breakfast Show presenter took to Twitter this afternoon to talk about an unusual encounter he had with a stranger who turned up at Clyde 2 HQ in Glasgow earlier today.
Ewen said the man credited him, along with a leading mental health charity, with saving his life because of his positivity on the airwaves .
And he was inspired to relay the experience to his followers on social media because it made him “emotional” and he felt the “need to share”.
When the curious comedian went through, he was blown away by what happened next.
The man, in his 40s, was “well dressed and looked fine” but when he reached out to shake Ewen’s hand and told him he wanted to thank him, the radio star stopped in his tracks because there was a “fragility to his voice that didn’t match” who he was looking at.
Ewen explained in a series of emotive tweets: “This man, who I’d never met, told me he was married with kids & over the past year has been struggling with his mental health and has been suicidal.
“And the reason he wanted to thank me was because ‘you need to know the difference you make’.
“I was in total shock.
“He informed me that he regularly listens to the radio in the morning & that late last year I helped him, along with a mental health charity.
“I was confused.
“He said that my enthusiasm & positive attitude on the radio was helping him during ‘dark moments & thoughts’.”
Ewen said the pair then went on to have a private conversation about the man’s battles and swapped numbers, with the presenter promising to speak at mental health group meetings in the future.
And now he wants to ensure that the tale inspires all of us to think a little bit about the impact of our actions, even the smallest ones, when we come into contact with people.
He ended the tweets with a reference to the social movement which has been dominating social media in the wake of Caroline Flack’s death, with a simple #BeKind.
Ewen added: “I’m emotional because here was a man, who had the courage to walk through the door of my work place, reaching out and thanking me for being his ‘friend’. Someone I’d never met before. On the outside he looked fine but his voice and body language screamed something else.
“What I’ve learnt today is that we can all make such a difference by just saying hello to someone, offering a smile in their direction, being polite, asking ‘how are you?’ or just #BeKind .”
