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Mason family launches foundation to focus on the complete athlete, their mental health


Sometimes all it takes is one person to speak up to make change. That’s what happened when a former Moeller High School athlete spoke up about mental health. The response was a ripple effect of others speaking up. Now, he and his mom launched a foundation to create more change one conversation at a time. (WKRC)
Sometimes all it takes is one person to speak up to make change. That’s what happened when a former Moeller High School athlete spoke up about mental health. The response was a ripple effect of others speaking up. Now, he and his mom launched a foundation to create more change one conversation at a time. (WKRC)
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**The following story discusses suicide. We acknowledge that this content may be difficult. If you struggle with thoughts of suicide and are in need of help call 800-273-TALK (8255)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) – Sometimes all it takes is one person to speak up to make change.

That’s what happened when a former Moeller High School athlete spoke up about mental health. The response was a ripple effect of others speaking up. Now, he and his mom launched a foundation to create more change one conversation at a time.

Typically, Lane Miller’s words are heard only by his lacrosse teammates on the field at Cleveland State as they communicate their plays. Then last spring, two Ohio lacrosse players he knew committed suicide.

That's when Miller decided he would not keep the secret he'd been hiding. As the director of a senior retreat, he gave a speech to his Moeller classmates about his struggle with anxiety and depression.

“I had 20-plus guys come up to me about it like, 'I'm struggling with similar things,'” Miller said. “That was very powerful for me, and it just encouraged me to keep sharing because you never know how it could help somebody. I noticed that kids who I did talk to, they often shared they were going through the same issues, especially during quarantine and COVID.”

Leigh Ann Rieth, Miller’s mom, also saw the positive reaction to her son’s speech.

“In the month following that, we were constantly having parents say, ‘My kid came home and they told me Lane's story and said, I feel that way too, or, I have felt that way, or, I have a friend and he feels that way too, but he hasn't told anyone.’ We realized that that it was just a big issue, especially in athletes.”

Rieth said it's important for kids to talk about what they're going through because before Miller spoke out, he had a plan to take his life.

“He had come upstairs looking for a knife to cut his wrists,” Rieth said. “I happened to not be able to sleep that night, and I was on the couch and he saw me and he decided he couldn't do it, and I didn't know. I had no idea.”

This summer, they created The Complete Athlete Foundation. The foundation hopes to provide mental health courses in the first year to 10 high schools across Ohio.

“I think a lot of athletes struggle with a lot of the same issues because mental toughness and perfection are praised a lot in sports,” Miller said in a video on the foundation’s website. “People interpret mental health struggles as weakness.”

“It's just as important to worry about your mental health as your nutrition and your skills and your weight lifting,” Rieth said. “To really be a complete athlete, you have to focus on all those aspects of the sport.”

They're not the only ones taking action.

Matt Triplet, a Columbus-area lacrosse coach, worked with state legislators this fall to introduce House Bill 492 to provide mental health training to all Ohio high school coaches.

“Every time this has happened, it's 'thoughts and prayers' and some flag or some hashtag that's thrown on a helmet,” Triplet said. “Let's do something a little more meaningful.

“Thankfully I have a voice and I have a network that allowed me to get out in front of this. And if I can't use platform for this, what should I use it for?”

Miller said he now has athletes reaching out to him from across the state when they are struggling

“Sometimes, it can feel like you're the only one,” Miller said. “So we just wanted to be a voice to get out there that there's a lot of people going through it and it's ok but the best way to get over it is to start talking about it.”

It's in hopes that one voice speaking up will help many.

If you struggle with thoughts of suicide and are in need of help call: 800-273-TALK (8255)

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