by Kaelyn Shea
On October 1st the Pilgrim Patriots and the Toll Gate Titans fought for a cause bigger than volleyball. They fought together for a woman named Morgan, and her message to the community. Morgan’s Message was a foundation established by co-founders, Dana Rogers, Clare Kehoe Zychowski (RN), Kat Zempolich, and Meaghan Birnie. Together, these women came together to bring awareness towards athletes and the mental struggles that a lot of them seem to face alone, as well as the differences among these athletes that may lead to induced mental health struggles.
“Morgan’s Message® is committed to elevating the diversity of perspectives found within athletics”(https://www.morgansmessage.org/). On their website, they also shared insight into Morgan herself; who she was and her message to the world about taking care of yourself mentally through all the ups and downs life may approach you with.
Morgan was an admirable athlete during her high school years with the drive and knowledge that she wanted to be able to play lacrosse at the highest level. Their website states, “As an underclassman in high school, several high-caliber programs recruited Morgan to play Division I Women’s Lacrosse.” This showcases the attitude that Morgan carried with her through her career as an athlete; driven, encouraged, and motivated. However, Morgan’s sophomore year brought a sudden end to her aspirations as she was faced with a complicated knee injury. She had to endure multiple surgeries and rehabilitation, which she was happy to do, if it meant she would be able to play again.
At this point in Morgan’s story is where she is faced with a challenge that drained her mental health and her confidence. Her lack of ability to do what she loved and the “feeling that she was not living up to her expectations”, led her to become depressed and anxious about her life. She hid it well, most people presuming that she was still her outgoing self. In reality, she was battling mentally with things that caused her to struggle deeply, until her eventual suicide on July 11, 2019 at only 22. The Morgan’s Message foundation chose to see Morgan for more than her mental health struggles and sought to share her story and bring awareness to other people, families, and athletes who may struggle, or know someone, who is struggling with understanding whether or not they are good enough.
In honor of Morgan, Pilgrim and Toll Gate came together, despite their rivalry game against one another. Toll Gate won the game swiftly in 3-0, not letting the Pilgrim Patriots gain even a set. Both teams played intensely, but ultimately came together for a stronger purpose. The two city rivals understood that while they may be matching up against each other, they were also matching up for Morgan, and her story as an athlete.
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