Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson opens up about his mother’s suicide attempt

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson opens up about his mother’s suicide attempt

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson inspires people around the world every day with his work outs and motivational quotes, plus his warmth and humour. But he recently shared a personal

story on Instagram to help spread awareness of mental health issues that has touched a chord worldwide.

The actor shared a photo taken from a scene of his TV series Ballers, in which his character visits the grave of his brother, who committed suicide. Dwayne wrote that this scene was moving for him because it reminded him of his own mother’s suicide attempt when he was 15 years old.

Dwayne opened his post by saying that he understands the “struggle and pain” of suicide, and then he shared his mother’s story.

“She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic,” he wrote. “Big rigs and cars swerving out of the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road.”

Dwayne’s mother has no memory of the incident.

Not your typical scene on our comedy #ballers, as I cracked a beer open toasting my character’s brother, William who committed suicide. Got me thinkin’ though bout how many of us have been affected by suicide of our friends, family. Struggle and pain is real. We’ve all been there on some level or another. My mom tried to check out when I was 15. She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road. What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t. Shits of a scene to shoot – didn’t like it – but it did reminder that we always gotta do our best to really pay attention when people are in pain. Help ‘em thru it, get ‘em talkin’ about the struggle and remind ‘em that they’re not alone. We got lucky that day when I was 15 and that ain’t always the case.

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Feb 1, 2018 at 12:45am PST

He said he shared this as a reminder that we all need to do our best to help those who are hurting.

“Help ‘em through it, get ‘em talkin’ about the struggle and remind ‘em that they’re not alone,” he wrote. “We got lucky that day when I was 15 and that ain’t always the case.”

Dwayne’s post is a crucial reminder to keep an eye on our loved ones and check in with everyone regularly. It can be so easy for mental health issues to spiral if left unchecked.

Luckily, Dwayne’s mum is doing much better now. He shared a picture of her crying tears of joy in a photo taken on Mothers Day in 2015, which shows just how far she has come.

“This is the woman who, when I was 14 yrs old, we were evicted out of our apartment in Hawaii ‘cause we couldn’t afford the $180 per week rent. At this moment I’m shaking my head and smiling quietly (as my mom blows her nose) ‘cause she just told me she’s happy,” Dwayne wrote. “And y’all know when our parents tell us they’re happy, it’s so satisfying for us, ‘cause it means we’ve done a good job for them as their kids.”

What a gorgeous son The Rock is! Yet another reason to love him.

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