I owe my life to kind Twitter users who rescued me from the brink of suicide

 
Overdose: Tamsin Sutherland wrote on Twitter about her suicidal despair
Ellen Widdup11 May 2012

A musician whose suicide bid was thwarted by Twitter users spoke today about “being given another chance at life”.

Tamsin Sutherland, 48, daughter of renowned orchestra conductor Iain Sutherland, posted updates on the social networking site while taking a drug overdose this week. Friends and followers alerted police and paramedics, who saved her life.

Ms Sutherland, who is transsexual and originally called Tarquin, said: “I simply felt I couldn’t go on. I don’t know why I decided to take to Twitter. I felt like I was talking to myself, or maybe writing a sort of suicide note for my son. I certainly didn’t expect anyone to read it, or even care, until it was too late.”

Twitter users tried frantically to contact her, begging her to turn on her phone or call for help. Eventually an address was found and emergency services were alerted.

Ms Sutherland, whose father is director of the Performing Artists Media Rights Association, was “overwhelmed”. She said: “In the space of 24 hours I received 500 messages from people all over the world offering me love and support and encouragement.”

Ms Sutherland, from Haringey, said her problems started when she decided 18 months ago to live as a woman. From the age of four, she said, she realised she was “living in the wrong skin”.

A drummer who has played with a number of rock bands including The Screaming Violets, she said: “For nearly 45 years I lived with this terrible secret and then I decided to do something about it.

“For first time in my life I could look in the mirror and not hate the way I looked. But as a result of the changes to my physical appearance, my life crumbled around me.” Her music studio business went bust, she became estranged from her family and feared her home would be repossessed.

“Being transgender makes life extremely complicated,” she said. “I get abuse as soon as I walk out of my door. I have people spitting on me, calling me names. I suppose I reached the point where I wondered if there was any point to my life.” But the Twitter community restored her faith in humanity, she said. “These people, from all walks of life, helped me see clearly for the first time in months. I feel they have given me another chance. They are decent, nice human beings. I owe them my life.”

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