In an attempt to end her life, Donna Thistlethwaite fell from Brisbane's iconic Story Bridge. Fate intervened and she miraculously survived. Her experience is a cautionary, but life-affirming tale that after the dark days, life can be good.

Donna Thistlethwaite stood in front of a roomful of strangers at a story-telling event three years ago, and for the first time revealed the "big dirty secret" that came between her and other people.

On a Sunday afternoon in August 2012, the successful career woman and mother of a young child told her partner she was going out to buy groceries.

Instead, she drove to Brisbane's Story Bridge and fell 40 metres into the wintery waters below.

Ms Thistlethwaite had no previous history of mental illness and her attempt on her own life came out of the blue.

"Getting up and telling her story was 'a coming out', if you will, as someone who'd survived suicide," story-telling event curator Melanie Tait said.

Ms Thistlethwaite said it "felt good" to share her story.

"Before, it was always looming there, affecting me and my ability to be open and authentic with people. I hadn't told many people because I was worried that I would be judged. What kind of mother abandons her child?" Ms Thistlethwaite said.

Lifeline executive director Alan Woodward said there was still a stigma around suicide and "these are the stories we need to be telling".

"We need to tell people that the suicidal crisis can be overcome," he said.

Ms Thistlethwaite hoped telling her story would help both herself and others.

Crisis of confidence

She was a "popular, bubbly, over-achiever" and it took only seven to 10 days for her mental state to deteriorate to the point of self-harm.

"She was emotionally stable. This is what made her case so perplexing," her psychiatrist George Blair-West said.

"But it speaks to how the human mind can move from being well and functioning to in this state that we think of around this word 'suicidal'."

Donna Thistlethwaite and her son Matthew, 7. ( Australian Story: Anthony Sines )

Ms Thistlethwaite had spent 17 years working her way up to a well-paid and well-respected position in the HR department of a large utility, employing about 4,000 people.

In 2012, she was ready to get back to work after 14 months of maternity leave, but self-doubt started to creep in with the dual pressures of leading a team and the introduction of a new IT system.

"I started to feel like I was stupid and that people would know I had no idea what I was doing," Ms Thistlethwaite said.

Her feelings of failure snowballed into thinking that she would be sacked from her job, a prospect she thought would be catastrophic for her family.

"I started to think that my family would be better off without me. Ending my life seemed to be the only viable solution," Ms Thistlethwaite said.

Dr Blair-West said people who are thinking of suicide are about to make the most important decision in their life, but are lacking the mental capacity to do so.

"When people are suicidal they have this cognitive narrowing. When they try to access parts of their own mind to work out what to do, how to help themselves, they can't," he said.

"They really need the mind of somebody else at those times."

Suicide prevention barriers were installed on the Story Bridge in 2015. ( www.flickr.com: akent )

A 'whole bunch of miracles'

Ms Thistlethwaite says that she can still feel the pain in her body from the fall.

"It just felt like icy water and just stinging," she said.

Queensland Ambulance Service medical director Dr Steve Rashford attended the scene as part of the major trauma response and said hitting the water was like "hitting concrete".

"Normally people who fall approximately 40 metres will die on impact. They suffer multiple catastrophic injuries," he said.

"To survive that fall you need to be very lucky. And then also to have rescuers there immediately to pick you up.

"So it's a whole bunch of miracles to have worked on this occasion."

A Queensland Coroner's Court document obtained by Australian Story stated that the year Ms Thistlethwaite fell from the Story Bridge, 15 people lost their lives the same way.

In September 2015, the Brisbane City Council installed suicide prevention barriers on the bridge.

Figures as to the effectiveness of the barriers have not yet been finalised.

However, Dr Rashford said that what used to be a "fairly frequent occurrence is now a zero occurrence".

'We expected her to be dead': rescuers reunite

Stuss Read said passengers "cheered and clapped" when he helped Ms Thistlethwaite from the Brisbane River. ( Australian Story: Anthony Sines )

Ms Thistlethwaite was rescued by a Brisbane CityCat crew with a full load of passengers.

"She was lying face down in the water," former deckhand Stuss Read said.

"I was expecting her to be dead. When we pulled her on board all the passengers roared and clapped."

Ms Thistlethwaite suffered a broken rib, a lacerated liver, five fractured vertebrae and bruising.

She was discharged from hospital in six days and, incredibly, has no ongoing physical injuries.

She was told that had she died, her two-year-old son would have been 50 per cent more at risk of suicide during his lifetime.

This information crystallised Ms Thistlethwaite's resolve to "never let that happen" and she has rebuilt her life through psychotherapy, meditation, exercise and staying socially connected.

Former ferrymen John Barnett (left) and Stuss Read (right) reunite with Donna Thistlethwaite. ( Australian Story: Anthony Sines )

Ms Thistlethwaite said speaking publicly has helped her make sense of what happened and might also help others who may be vulnerable.

"The scariest part of this story is that 65,000 Australians attempt suicide every year. What I would say to anyone thinking about this is not to give up," she said.

"It is possible to feel different to how you feel right now. And there's hope.

"I'm now in a better place than I have ever been. Life is great."

Mr Read said he often wondered what happened to the woman he saved.

He and fellow rescuer, former CityCat captain John Barnett, recently had their chance to find out when they reunited near the spot their lives fortuitously intersected nearly five years ago.

"She's got over that period and is enjoying life now. As we all should," Mr Barnett said.

Ms Thistlethwaite added: "I was feeling emotional having met these people that I owe my life to."

Donna Thistlethwaite says speaking publicly has helped her make sense of her suicide attempt. ( Australian Story: Anthony Sines )

Donna's story 'The Bridge' airs on Australian Story at 8:00pm on ABCTV and ABC iview.