U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) stars Alex Morgan, Ashlyn Harris and Christen Press joined Kyle Korver from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and a host of other people in To Write Love On Her Arms’ (TWLOHA) powerful video titled, “Stay,” for Suicide Prevention Week.
According to the World Health Organization, one person takes his or her life every 40 seconds, which equates to 800,000 people each year.
TWLOHA has been delivering hope and finding help for people who struggle with anxiety, depression, self-injury and suicide since 2006, and many professional women’s soccer players have developed a working relationship with the organization to help countless young people.
The video, which was released on Sept. 6, encourages those who struggle with suicidal thoughts to “Stay.”
“I was made for love, and the name it gave me,” the video starts. “I was made for the great experiences of life. I was made for trying to write songs that my mom will like. I was made to be a sister and a friend to my five siblings. I was made for good books, good coffee.”
Then Alex Morgan chimes in with, “I was made to be a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mom.”
“I was made for a second chance,” Ashlyn Harris says.
“I was made to play, I was made to learn, I was made to love,” Christen Press adds.
Here’s the entire spot:
As we documented in 2015 when we traveled to Florida to visit with Ashlyn Harris in her home on Satellite Beach, Harris struggled mighty with depression, but she’s now a model for others to live large, even on the worst of days.
“[I want to] take those experiences and all those moments I felt so alone, and I would isolate myself and I would shut everyone else out,” she said in our exclusive video. “I was extremely aggressive because I didn’t know how to deal with my emotions as a kid, and the only way I knew how to deal with it was either harming other people or harming myself. I have to be able to be open and honest and not pretend like it doesn’t haunt me. I have a whole bag of demons that I deal with every single day but I find a way to find beauty in life. I find a way to continue my journey and tell my story.”
Her point: It’s okay not to feel okay, but just never give up. Stay.