The Teen who planned suicide!

Freda Savahl
3 min readJan 24

But her kindest pet dog intervened!

Bethany Pasell is a Freelance Artist with ADHD & Autism. A photo of Leslie.

I have a Space on Quora. Writers send me articles to publish on my Space to share with readers.

With permission, I am sharing an article from Bethany Pasell, a Freelance Artist with ADHD. It is about a memorable event that saved her life.

(These are mostly her words; I made grammatical corrections.)

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Bethany writes:

A year ago, while in the 11th grade, I had many school-related mental issues. I was absent because of illness and failed my tests. This stress pushed me to the edge!

On Wednesday, while my two other dogs were at the groomer with my folks, I was alone at home with my dog, Leslie.

I was so depressed & saddened. I sent messages to my teachers, friends, and my parents, saying goodbye to them. I sat on the floor with my dad’s gun behind me. I set up a cardboard box to shoot myself in so it would be less messy to clean.

It was while I was writing the suicide note that I heard whining noises. I looked to the door and saw Leslie, my dog staring at me, her ears folded down and whining loudly.

She came towards me; I hugged her & showered her with kisses, crying & wiping away my tears on her furry coat.

I closed the door & as I sat back on the floor, Leslie forced herself into my lap, pushing my arms out so she could occupy my lap fully.

Now I could not write very well & I could not move to reach the gun behind me as Leslie was nervous & growling.

My neighbors heard the growling & burst through my door, finding me in this sorrowful state.

I got help, thanks to Leslie and my neighbors.

Here are pictures of three of my doggies — A photo by Bethany Pasell.

I’m now in the 12th grade. I still struggle with self-harm on and off. However, the kind & comforting words I receive from readers of my story and my friendly neighbors have made me think twice about hurting myself.

Freda Savahl

Retired Nurse Practitioner WHC /Contract Provider Deployment Military Services. US Citizen. Immigrant from South Africa 1978.