Hiway 80 Rescue Mission Triumph Village saves man from suicide

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - East Texas shelters are credited with helping those who are homeless and needy with food, shelter and clothing, but one East Texas man says they did nothing less than save his life.

He came to the Hiway 80 Rescue Mission’s Triumph Village in Tyler, and it all came about because of a pair of broken glasses.

Cheerful now at Triumph Village, 28-year-old Austin Sorenson’s future was bleak only days earlier.

“I still suffer a lot of anxiety, depression. I just came to that point where I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do. I lost everything.’ Just off of impulse, not knowing where I was going to go, what I was going to do, it was out of frustration that I ended up breaking my glasses,” Austin said.

He had walked 25 miles from Ben Wheeler to Tyler and was contemplating the worst: taking his own life.

“That’s what I was feeling. I was at my end, or getting close to my end,” he said.

But, when he arrived in Tyler and looked through his broken lenses, something he saw changed things.

“It said welcome center,” said Austin.

“Kid was drenching wet. It was cold outside. We were wondering what he wanted, ‘Where are you coming from? Where are you going? What’s the deal with you? How can we help you?’” said Triumph Village resident Lynn Ray Birchfield.

Workers helped Austin get a new perspective, and an anonymous friend decided, first things first, and bought Austin a new pair of glasses.

“I think that was cool. Someone wanted to help me out. Whoever did that, thank you for your help,” Sorenson said.

“Anybody that’s spent time here and hears a story like that, he’s in the right spot. We know why he’s here,” Birchfield said.

It’s a new start for Austin.

“I’m going to try to get my life in order,” he said.

Austin said he is working to normalize his life, with more stability by getting and keeping a job.

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