Morgan’s Message is a non-profit organization founded by Morgan Rodger’s mother, Dona Rodger’s. Morgan had gone through knee surgery and an injury as a college athlete. When faced with the isolation and loneliness of not being able to live up to her own expectations after surgery and being with her team, she tragically took her life on July 11, 2019. In response to Morgan’s tragic and heartbreaking passing, Morgan’s mom founded Morgan’s Message, a non-profit organization that helps give resources to student-athletes who are suffering or struggling with mental health.
When I had originally found our chapter’s Morgan’s Message page on Instagram, I reached out to Lucy Moore, the student-athlete who runs the account, and asked her various questions. I have gotten permission from Lucy herself to share her name and answers in this article, here’s what she had to say:
1 How did you find out about Morgan’s Message? Moore says, “As a lacrosse player, I happened to come about it on my social media feed. Many of the pro lacrosse players picked the organizations for their non-profit game; each athlete picks a cause and the entire season they stand behind it and raise money for it. I researched more information about it and immediately became super interested in the organization.”
2- Why did you start our chapter of Morgan’s Message?- “I started the Warren chapter of Morgan’s message because I want to help eliminate the stigma around mental health for student- athletes. The treatment for physical health is way more accepted than treatment for mental health in athletics. I am a strong believer in the hardest game as an athlete in the battle against your own mind. I want to spread the word for any younger athletes that it is okay to not be okay and being you as a human is more important than you as an athlete.” (Moore).
3- Is there any advice you have for athletes struggling with mental health currently?- Advice that I would would give athletes that are currently struggling would definitely be to prioritize your mental health the same as you prioritize your physical health. You take off days for your body to recover but it is common for young athletes to not take a rest day for just their mind. I also want to spread awareness that they are not alone! many of their peers and teammates feel the exact same way but it is not talked about. Take care of yourself, more specifically your mind,and don’t be afraid to reach out for help!” (Moore).
4- As an athlete how have you maintained your mental health in the past?- “I have battled long and hard with my mental health as an athlete. I learned how to deal with performance anxiety and extreme pressure that I have put on myself. I had to deal with all the physical things that would happen: shaking, sweating, vomiting and crying. I used to have extreme episodes when I performed badly which was the root of the anxiety. I have spent a lot of time understanding my feelings and where they came from. Within the last year, I started at a sports psychologist and I have grown exponentially. I learned that I am much more than my sport and many coping mechanisms for when the performance anxiety sneaks up on me. It was a tough battle and it is still not over but I am extremely proud of the progress I have made. I want to share my story with others so they see that it is possible to get better and it is not something to be ashamed of!!” (Moore).
Together we can eliminate the stigma against mental health in general but especially for student-athletes. As a student-athlete myself, I have always found it hard to be able to voice what I was feeling to my teammates or coaches because it just wasn’t talked about in the athletic community. I’m so glad Warren is helping student-athletes and students with mental health issues with this club, thank you Lucy for putting this together and doing the work to create change around the topic of mental health in the athletic world. And to anyone that is currently struggling or feels alone, I see you and I hear you.
To see where the WTHS chapter of Morgan’s Message goes, follow their Instagram: @wths_morgansmessage
