(WETM) — Morgan Rodgers was a typical 22 year old. She was her daughter, sister, friend, and teammate. Now her heritage is alive.
“She made up her mind,” said her mother, Donna Rogers. “She was competitive. She had a strong will. Whatever she decided on her mind, she accomplished it.”
There aren’t enough adjectives to describe Morgan Rogers. A young woman in northern Virginia was in front of her life. As a high school undergraduate, talented programs across the country have begun recruiting Morgan to play Division I’s Women’s Lacrosse.
In 2014, she accepted an offer to play for the Duke University Women’s Lacrosse Team.
“She had a lot of fun in the field,” said Donna Rogers. “She was all working in the field, but she was a bystander.”
In January 2017, just before the start of the sophomore season, Morgan endured a dreamy knee injury. The injury made Morgan feel out of control.
Morgan began to experience anxiety and depression.
She suffered in silence and fought for mental health. In July 2019, Morgan died of suicide.
“She really felt that she needed to keep it secret and really quiet,” said Donna Rogers. “She had a lot of readily available resources, but she didn’t use any of them. Until she died, I didn’t know how ill she was or how deep and difficult she was. It was. “
Her mother, Donna, left more questions than the answer.
“What was wrong?” Asked Donna Rogers. “Why did you miss all the signs?”
Rogers’ family and friends lived in the dark clouds for years after Morgan’s death. Clouds still approaching above them to this day.
But out of the dark, Rogers’ family created “Morgan’s Message.” A non-profit organization striving to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student athlete community. It also aims to equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics. What started out as a podcast has changed to more.
Currently, more than 1,000 universities nationwide participate as Morgan’s message ambassadors.
“So we decided we needed an educational program,” said Donna Rogers. “This is a peer-to-peer conference group that these ambassadors hold about once a month on campus.”
Morgan’s message ambassador for the Cornell Women’s Lacrosse Team, Hira Reefover, said she was grateful for her team’s participation in various workshops.
“We became vulnerable and were able to share with each other some of the hardships we faced as student athletes,” Hoover said. “There is a lot of comfort in knowing that you are not alone.”
Hoover said it’s easy to relate his identity to himself as an athlete.
“That may be amazing,” Hoover said. “But if you don’t perform as well as you want in the field or in the classroom, it’s easy to lose your mental health.”
Jenny Graap, head coach of Cornell Women’s Lacrosse, said he was proud of the team’s ambassadors.
“”[I’m proud] Create an environment where student athletes from the Cornell Women’s Lacrosse Team can recognize the benefits of having these conversations. ”
Graap also added that he hopes these conversations will spread to other teams at Cornell University.
“No more was asked,” said Donna Rogers. “”[We couldn’t ask] For more than asking these kids for help if that’s what they want. ”
For more information on Morgan’s messages, stories, or ambassador programs, please visit this website.
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