Marva Allen, payroll officer at the NCB Group Human Resources Division. - Photo by Andrew Wildes

Frustrated by her inability to feed her three sons and with little hope of a better tomorrow, Sheree Russet* resolved one dreary night last year to kill herself. She would have succeeded, too, had it not been for a miraculous turn of events that ended up transforming her life.

"Mi just feel depressed 'cause mi children dem did hungry. Mi just get depressed di night and mi cry, mi cry, mi cry," Sheree shared with The Gleaner.

"Mi did have some pill and me send weh mi likkle baby boy 'cause me say me ah go tek dem. But when me go fi tek the pill dem, mi say me ah go pray one more time!"

Alone in her bathroom with a heavy heart and a bottle of deadly pills, Sheree prayed, and then suddenly something happened.

"Mi pray one more time and then me hear somebody say, 'Call 119'."

She reached for a phone and dialled. "When me look, me get somebody pon di line (and after telling her the situation), she start talk 'bout God. She start tell me: 'Throw weh di pill dem, throw dem weh', and she gwaan talk wid mi inna di night till me throw di pill dem away."

Dissuaded suicidal caller

Instead of calling 119, Sheree had somehow contacted a private call centre in New Kingston. The telephone operator, Stacey Ann Gentles, did everything she could think of to dissuade her suicidal caller, and was successful. Later on that same night, Gentles even carried some food items to Sheree's home and gave her some money.

Sheree's needs were greater than a few bags of groceries, though, and so Gentles promised her she would share the situation with people who could help. Sheree simply could not find work and she was so broke, her sons had to take turns attending school because there was never enough money for the three of them to attend at the same time. Somehow though, luck was beginning to turn in Sheree's favour, and it stretched a web from Gentles to a woman with just the right heart and connections to help.

Shared story

Gentles shared Sheree's heart-rending situation with her pastor at the Fairview Open Bible Church in Spanish Town, St Catherine, who, in turn, shared it with the church's Care Help and Opportunity Ministry of which Marva Allen is a member.

Allen, a payroll officer at the National Commercial Bank's (NCB) Group Human Resources Division, was moved by Sheree's story and was compelled, despite being nervous, to contact her.

"I was a bit reluctant at first because I said I've never spoken to anybody who wanted to end their life before. I'm not a counsellor, what am I going to say? But I called her the Sunday afternoon and introduced myself and told her I was there to help," Allen shared.

Allen wasted little time from that point on. Monday morning when she returned to work, she shared the story with her colleagues who willingly donated money and clothing for Sheree. Allen even went to meet Sheree's son at school and upgraded his worn-out khaki uniform. Soon, one of Allen's co-workers offered Sheree a part-time job.

Thanks to Allen's unrelenting zeal to help her new-found friend, Sheree will also be receiving two educational grants for her sons' schooling and a cellular phone through the NCB Foundation's Grant a Wish programme.

Why the cellphone?

There is a reason that moved Allen to request a cellphone above everything else for Sheree from the NCB Foundation. She said that Sheree was not seeking handouts and was determined to work, but whenever new opportunities arose, she simply could not be contacted. Allen, therefore, shared Sheree's story with the foundation which responded by donating the phone, along with the scholarships.

Sheree is thankful. Life isn't perfect, but at least now she works two days each week and can feed her family.

"Mi give God thanks 'cause it did really look dim. A years me a keep it to myself, 'cause mi say God, mi nuh waan nobody know. Mi just waan guard it safe, 'cause mi proud, mi nuh waan nobody know 'bout it but the day come when me say God no, enough is enough!"

Name changed on request.

andrew.wildes@gleanerjm.com

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