Cathriona’s remarkable story of hope

A YOUNG woman who had a near miracle escape from death after a suicide attempt in the River Corrib two years ago, has spoken to the Connacht Tribune this week about the need to ‘reach out’ when feeling down.

Just over two years ago, as Cathriona Coleman (35) from Knock lay motionless and brain dead in the Intensive Care Unit of University Hospital Galway (UHG), her family were told that she ‘would not make the night’.

On the evening of March 5, 2014, shoving up to 6pm, Caithriona – who had been drinking cans of cheap beer through the day – made the walk down to Claddagh Quay and threw herself into the waters of the Corrib. For her, this was to be the end and it almost was.

At the same time a local fireman, Ciaran Oliver, spotted something in the water through the fading March evening light and initially thought it was a seal. He took a closer look and identified the shape of a body – there seemed little sign of life.

He knew the drill: the emergency services were contacted and a Fire Brigade member performed emergency CPR on Cathriona . Things did not look good through the night and at UHG, there was talk of bereavement counselling and organ donation.

“I had drank that morning. I remember this – I had decided this would be D-day. I had texted my loved ones to say my goodbyes and that would be it,” remembers Cathriona.

Now two years on from her time of abject hopelessness, Cathriona has turned her life around.

She knows that she’s the luckiest woman in the world to be alive, and appreciates every second of it. Only in the days, weeks and months after her horror ordeal did she realise her problems with depression, panic attacks and alcoholism.

“My biggest regret to this day is not having reached out. I felt that mentally I was weak, a mess, no one or anything would have the ability to fix me. I was gone beyond fixing,” she says.

For more on this story, see the Connacht Tribune.