College Athletes and Mental Health

Any human can suffer from a mental illness or from various mental health issues. However, over the past 5 years, people are seeing a spike in college athletes specifically. Two people are working through grief and constant pain to teach about mental health and share their beloved son’s story. A little background: Mark and Kym Hilinski are the parents of Tyler Hilinksi. At the age of twenty-one, Tyler committed suicide by himself at his dorm room. He attended Washington State University. A couple months after the Hilinskis found out about Tyler’s death, they turned their immense pain into a foundation dedicated to create awareness and raise money about mental health, especially for college athletes. Through this foundation, the Hilinski’s travel the country and visit various colleges to present what they call “Tyler Talks.” Tyler Talks are informative, heart-wrenching presentations designed to make those thinking about suicide stop themselves, and to reach out and touch the hearts of those struggling with the loss of a person or with mental health. As the talks end and people start filing out, the Hilinski’s wait for stragglers in need of a one-on-one talk. These talks may save lives. So far, the Hilinski’s have visited over 200 colleges and changed many lives. But what about the Hilinski’s? I can only imagine the pain and sacrifice they go through time and time again, to make sure their son’s story is told. Sometimes their own mental health is put away. Sometimes they are struck by the thought of how even if they talk to every single college in the country, there will still be people who take their own life and still people who are suffering. This thought, combined with their own never-ending grief, makes it hard for them to keep talking. But the lives they do change keep them going. In conclusion, we need more foundations like Hilinski’s hope to save lives and spread awareness about the struggles of mental illness and increasing suicide rates.

SOURCE:

Bishop, Greg. “They Need to Talk About Tyler.” Sports Illustrated, 15 Dec. 2022, pp. 68–79.