Content warning: mention of suicide
At their game on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m., the Meredith College field hockey team will be playing in honor of Morgan’s Message, a suicide awareness initiative. The Meredith Herald reached out to team member Bella Allen, ‘24, about why this message hits so close to home for her.
Allen told The Herald, “I recently lost my close friend and former roommate Marissa Borst to suicide in August of this year. I have always felt like field hockey at Meredith has been my space to grow, as I am surrounded by a great group of teammates and coaches, so I felt like this is a space where I wanted to start spreading awareness.” She said the field hockey team coaches and administration “were supportive of this idea and they have had [her] back to make this game dedication possible.”
According to Allen, Morgan’s Message was started when “Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University Lacrosse student-athlete died tragically in July 2019 after battling mental health struggles.” Morgan’s Message spreads awareness for suicide and mental health through student-athlete populations on campuses across North Carolina.
When asked about how she felt about suicide awareness and prevention, Allen said, “I feel that it is important for everyone to know that they are not alone, it is okay to not be okay and there are resources available to them. I hope that game on Thursday is able to start the conversation about suicide prevention on Meredith’s campus.”
If you are struggling with suicide, suicidal ideation or mental health, please call the Meredith College Counseling Center at (919) 760-8427. If you currently are in crisis, please contact the counselor on call by calling Campus Police at 919-760-8888 or the Critical Response Team at 919-612-6350. For more resources on where to find help at Meredith, check out the Counseling Center’s website.
By Freya Dahlgren, Staff Writer