How I pulled my brother back from the edge of despair

By David Olopade

There are moments in life that leave you feeling powerless, as if you’re watching someone you love spiral into darkness, unable to do anything to stop it. But sometimes, it only takes one moment, one act of courage, to pull someone back from the brink. That moment came for me when I saved my brother’s life.

My brother had always been a carefree, wild spirit. From a young age, he was known for his rebellious nature. He smoked heavily and was a womanizer,  sleeping with different women every day. It wasn’t just a phase, it became his identity. He seemed to enjoy the chaos, the temporary pleasures, even as he damaged his body and relationships along the way.

But deep inside, I always knew he wasn’t happy. I could see the emptiness in his eyes when he wasn’t trying to mask it with another cigarette or another night out with a new woman.

He was living for the moment, but with every passing day, the pain from his past began to weigh him down.

One fateful day, everything changed.

One of the women my brother had been involved with had given him a drink. At first, it seemed like any other night, but little did he know, she had spiked the drink with something. After that, my brother began to change in ways none of us could explain.

He became mentally unstable, his thoughts and emotions spiraling out of control. It was as though a part of him had been lost forever.

My family, confused and scared, took him to a neuropsychiatric hospital in Abeokuta.

He was diagnosed and put on a regular treatment plan. For a while, the medications seemed to help, but the moment he stopped taking them, his mind would drift back into chaos. It was a constant battle to keep him stable.

I became his pillar, making sure he went to the hospital, reminding him to take his medication. But as the months wore on, I began to see the toll it was taking on him he felt like a prisoner in his own mind, trapped by his past and the weight of his actions. He started to believe he was beyond redemption.

One evening, I found my brother in his room, writing something. I could see the despair on his face as he scribbled furiously. When I approached him, I saw the note he was writing, a farewell letter.

His words cut deep, as he expressed how tired he was of life. He was ready to end it all.

I could hardly breathe as I read the note. My heart shattered knowing my brother, the person I grew up with, the person I loved so much, was on the verge of giving up. In that moment, I knew I couldn’t let him go not like this.

Without thinking, I grabbed the note from his hands and ran after him. I followed him outside, not sure where he was going but knowing that if I didn’t stop him, I could lose him forever. He started walking toward a nearby bush, and before I could reach him, he was about to step into the darkness.

I called his name, my voice trembling. He turned, and the look in his eyes told me he was lost. I ran toward him, pulling him back. We struggled for a moment he didn’t want to listen. He was so broken, convinced that nothing could fix him, that no one could help him.

But in that fight, I didn’t give up. I spoke to him with everything I had in my heart, reminding him of who he was, of the brother I knew before the pain consumed him.

“You’re not alone in this,” I said through my tears. “You don’t have to carry the weight of your past anymore. We can fight this together, but you have to want to fight. You’re worth it.”

He looked at me, as if for the first time seeing the love and hope I was trying to offer. Slowly, I saw the walls start to break down. It wasn’t easy nothing ever is but I knew that I had to give him the strength to take the first step toward healing.

The next day, I helped him find a job, something to give him purpose, something that would help him focus on his future instead of drowning in regret.

It wasn’t a quick fix, but it was the beginning of something new. With the help of the job, my encouragement, and a renewed commitment to his treatment, he began to take his medication regularly. His mind started to stabilize, and I saw a spark of hope in him again.

It’s been months now since that day in the bush, and while my brother still faces challenges, he is no longer lost in despair. He is fighting for his future, and I’m fighting right alongside him.

Sometimes, all it takes is one person to believe in you when you’ve lost faith in yourself. For my brother, that person was me and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.