A suicidal Air Force veteran claims he was put on hold repeatedly by the VA helpline on Saturday night and almost ended it all as his depression nearly got the better of him. Missing his wife who had recently passed away from cancer, a desperate Ted Koran, 59, phoned the Veterans Suicide Hotline but all he got was a recorded message. Ted said he was put on hold three times for 10 minutes at a time and the only reason he decided not to kill himself on Saturday was to care for the 60 rescue animals he and his wife had looked after together. Scroll down for video . Depression: Ted Koran says that he came very close to ending his own life when he failed to get through to a counselor on the VA Suicide Hotline on Saturday . 'My wife and I saved them, and they saved me,' Ted Koran said to ABC Action News from his home in Florida. Ted Koran's experience highlights the increasing problems the VA is facing with its Veterans Crisis Hotline as it fights depression among ex-servicemen. First set up in 2007, the service had 60 calls a day on four manned phone lines. Today it has 52 operators fielding up to 1,000 phone calls a day, but the service is at breaking point. Despite statistics which say 22 veterans end their lives every day across the US, depressed former soldiers are still being put on hold by helplines. Sadness: Ted (right in his Air Force uniform) said he was thinking suicidal thoughts because he was struggling to deal with the loss of his wife Karen, (left with Ted) who passed away six months ago . Anguish: Ted said that he has battled with severe depression since his wife (Karen, right) passed away and wanted someone to talk to on Saturday night . Love: The Koran's ran The Critter Place out of Weeki Wachee in Florida and only the thought of the 60 animals he and Karen (pictured) cared for stopped Ted from ending his own life on Saturday . Help: The loss of Karen (pictured) was devastating to Ted. The Veterans Association estimates that 22 former servicemen and women end their lives daily - a figure that could be reduced they claim if they got more funding for their helpline service. On Saturday, Ted admitted to suffering an emotional breakdown. 'I was missing my wife Karen,' he said to ABC Action News. Ted's wife passed away from cancer six months ago and he says he needed help. 'I went to the only place that I knew and that I had available to me, the VA,' said Ted. The first call for help Ted made to the James Haley VA Center in Tampa ended in a recorded message giving him the 800 number hotline. He claims he was then put on hold for 10 minutes. 'I had to sit there patiently, in emotional distress, in tears, wanting to give up, desperately needing someone to talk to,' said Ted to ABC Action News. Much loved: Ted has assured his friends and family that he will get through the death of this wife (pictured) and has asked them not to worry . Frustrated, Ted said he hung up and redialled two more times. 'They had me on the verge of saying to hell with it,' he said. Damningly, Ted claims that when he finally got hold of a counselor, they were of little help. A Scripps national investigation also found shocking instances of suicidal vets unable to get through to speak to a counselor. One veteran claims he was on hold for 36 minutes. 'The very ones that are supposed to be there for me let me down,' said Ted. However, following national attention, Ted claims he was phoned by the VA who wanted to speak to him. Ted took to Facebook on Tuesday and wrote that the two phone calls he had with the VA were a mixed bag. 'Had two calls from the VA. One from a social worker at the James Haley Tampa VA. Another from the VA crisis hotline headquarters,' wrote Ted to Facebook. 'The first hour long conversation didn't go so well. He ended up getting upset at me because by the end I felt that he was just doing his job and I didn't feel any compassion in that he only called me because his superior told him to contact me. 'He was the very reason I was reluctant to seek 'professional' help for so long. 'The VA Crisis hotline call went totally different. By the end of that hour long conversation I wish I could have given her a hug.' For confidential support in the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org.
Ted Koran was missing his recently deceased wife Karen on Saturday night . The Florida Air Force veteran says he kept on being put through to recorded messages . Only the thought of the 60 rescue animals he and his wife cared for kept him alive . Both ran Florida wildlife sanctuary called The Critter Place .