Summit Girls Lacrosse players share Morgan’s Message: that mental health is ‘just as important as physical health’

(Update: adding video, comments from Summit Girls Lacrosse players)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Mental health issues can affect people of all ages and backgrounds, including student-athletes.

The Summit Girls Lacrosse team is partnering with a non profit to help expand the conversation in sports.

Summit Girls Lacrosse is 9-1 on the season and in a position to make the playoffs and compete with the best teams in the state.

However, there’s something bigger than lacrosse on these girls' minds: Are their friends and teammates doing okay? And if not, do they feel comfortable speaking up?

Brooke Henderson is one of two Summit Girls Lacrosse ambassadors for Morgan’s Message, a non profit focused on eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health with student-athletes.

“I've dealt with mental health issues in sports, and I’ve had problems with that -- and I want to help others with those problems,” Henderson said. “Help them work through those problems, so it doesn’t come to a thing where they want to hurt themselves, or end up ruining something really good.”

Sarah Hawkins is another Morgan’s Message ambassador and is the one who approached Henderson to get involved. 

“Mental health is kind of put to the side a bit,” Hawkins said. “So Morgan's Message kind of has shown me how important mental health is, and how it’s just as important as physical health.”

Morgan Rodgers was a Division I lacrosse player at Duke. While trying to battle back from injury, she struggled with her mental health, and died by suicide in 2019.

As ambassadors of the nonprofit, which has become a staple in the lacrosse community, Henderson and Hawkins hope to spread the message across Summit athletics: I’s okay to not be okay.

“I would say a lot of people don’t diagnose their problems and their stress with sports as mental illness until it's too late, and until people are suffering, and they can’t play their sports any more because they’re suffering too much,” Henderson said.

The Storm held its first ever Morgan's Message dedication game last week, in a 17-4 victory over Sisters.

Battles with mental health are not as simple as winning or losing, but the girls feel expanding the conversation is the right play. 

“Feeling supported enough and feeling confident enough to step forward and say you are having trouble with something," Hawkins said. "And I think that is where Morgan's message is such a great thing.”