A teenager has posted a photo of herself in hospital after a suicide attempt aged 15 as she revealed she now has a new job, home and boyfriend in an inspirational message of hope to others.
Emma Ferguson, who is now 19, tried to kill herself four years ago when her mother, Fiona, died of breast cancer.
She was saved by a concerned neighbour who broke into her home in Dunblane, in Stirling.
She has since moved to Glasgow, where she has a devoted boyfriend and a new job.
Last week she shared a photo of herself in hospital shortly after waking up from her failed suicide bid, with the caption: ‘Remember you CAN do it and WILL get through it.’
Emma Ferguson, who is now 19, shared a photo of her aged 15 after a failed suicide attempt
The 19-year-old is now living in Glasgow and in a happy relationship with boyfriend Adam Lindores
Her tweet has since gone viral with 57,000 ‘likes’ and 8,400 retweets since it was posted on Wednesday.
Alongside the picture of her in the hospital bed Miss Ferguson also uploaded an image of her and boyfriend of one-year Adam Lindores, 19, who she said helped her recovery.
She wrote: ‘Four years ago I attempted to take my own life and was diagnosed with depression after I lost my mum.
‘This year I moved to Glasgow with the love of my life and I am absolutely smashing life. Remember you CAN do it and WILL get through it. #breakthestigma’
Miss Ferguson said she had been overwhelmed by the positive response to her tweet, which went viral
Miss Ferguson was 13 when her mother, Fiona, died of breast cancer.
Two years later her depression became so bad she felt she could not continue.
Thankfully her ex-boyfriend sensed something was wrong. He contacted Miss Ferguson’s neighbour, a nurse, and mother to her best friend, to go round and check on her.
The neighbour and her husband kicked in Miss Ferguson’s door and luckily found her alive.
Miss Ferguson, who tried to kill herself when she was 15, is now in a loving relationship with her boyfriend (pictured together)
Speaking today Miss Ferguson said: ‘My mum was diagnosed when I was about six or seven. By the end it had spread all over her body to her kidneys and everything. She was on oxygen and just stopped taking it.
‘I would say that to anyone going through what I did, and keep yourself busy, find things to do and focus on. If you just sit about in a room all day doing nothing, it does things to you.’
Miss Ferguson added that her family struggled to cope after her suicide attempt.
She said: ‘My brother was too young to know what was going on, but it did have a big impact on my dad. I lived with my Nanny for a while afterwards, because it was difficult between us, but we’re fine now.’
She added: ‘The thing that kept me going was my Nanny. She always said to me, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and it may seem far away or out of reach – but it is always there and you have to keep reaching for it.’
Emma Ferguson, 19, though her life was over when her mother died of cancer four years ago. Now she is urging others to battle depression
The 19-year-old added that making positive changes towards her future helped her to move on.
She said: ‘It was a spontaneous decision to move to Glasgow. Adam is in second year at university and the workload is getting harder for him and I wanted a change, so we just did it.
‘It’s not as if I feel like I’ve grown up, I just felt like I had achieved something and I wanted to share it with people.
‘I did it partly for me, because I wanted to show how far I’ve come, but I couldn’t believe the response. It has been amazing.’
James Jopling, executive director of Samaritans Scotland, said: ‘It is great that it appears Emma is now doing so well after such a tough time in her life.
‘We encourage anyone who feels they are struggling or in crisis to seek help before things get too much. That can be talking to friends and family.
‘Or if you would rather speak to someone confidentially and anonymously then Samaritans are here around the clock, right throughout the year, by phone or email.’
To contact the Samaritans, call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org