A MESSAGE FROM "Kyle Massie runs NYC Marathon to raise funds for Mental Health Awareness"
The Identity I Lost
For a long time, I thought my identity was defined by playing basketball or being an athlete. As a former college athlete, I was in the best shape of my life at the time. But my world shifted when I was diagnosed with heart issues, including Afib and tachycardia. Slowly, the things that made me feel like "me" were taken away. I went from working out and competing at the highest level to being unable to exercise without fearing that my heart and body wouldn't be able to handle it. When my dream of joining the military after college ended due to my health, the physical pain turned into a mental battle.
The Silent Struggle
Losing what I thought was my identity as an athlete crushed me. I lost all self confidence and doubt set in. I began to speak to myself with a cruelty I would never use on a friend. I felt weak, broken, and eventually, I fell into a depression I felt like I couldn't escape.
To everyone else, I was still the same person—the friend who showed up, the one who tried to spread love, the person celebrating life’s milestones with a smile. But internally, I was in a darkness so heavy I didn't think I would—or wanted to—see the following month. I felt completely alone even in rooms full of people I loved and who knew me well. I reached a point where I truly believed that life without me was best. I was present, but I was suffering in total silence.
The First Step Toward Hope
I knew I couldn't keep living in that silence. I made a choice to reach out to a therapist. Those conversations changed everything. For the first time, the "weight" wasn't just mine to carry. Speaking the truth out loud didn't make the depression disappear, but it took away its power over me. Talking saved my life.
Reclaiming my mental health went hand-in-hand with reclaiming my physical health. After a few minor heart procedures, I had to learn to trust my heart again—one slow mile at a time. Running started as a way to prove to myself that I wasn't broken. It became my new therapy, a space where I could process my thoughts and gain back my confidence. Today, my heart is healthier, my mental is stronger, and I'm ready to take on 26.2 miles for a purpose bigger than myself!
Why I'm Running for Minding Your Mind
I still have days where the darkness feels close, and I still find it hard to talk about my feelings with those I love most. It's a work in progress. But I’ve learned that the first step to healing is breaking the silence. I’m running the NYC Marathon for Minding Your Mind because they provide the very thing that saved me: the bridge from silence to support. They go into schools to reach young people who feel exactly how I felt—athletes who have lost their way, students who feel alone in a crowd, and anyone who thinks their story is over. Their primary objective is to provide mental health education to students in kindergarten through college, and to the adults in their communities.
Your donation helps fund the speakers and programs that show our youth that it’s okay to not be okay, and more importantly, that it’s okay to talk about it. My goal is to raise money to help ensure others don't have to face their darkness alone.
Life is precious and it's better with you in it. And as always, spread love and remember...it's free to be kind! You never know who may need it.
Thank you for your generous donation to Team Minding Your Mind! The majority of Minding Your Mind’s programs are provided on a donate-as-able basis to the schools or organizations requesting them. Each individual program costs Minding Your Mind approximately $500 plus overhead. While hosting groups are invited to make a donation to Minding Your Mind, we do not decline presentations due to an inability to pay. Because of this policy, most of Minding Your Mind’s financing is derived from fundraising events, personal donations, and charitable grants. Your donation can change, and save, lives. Minding Your Mind is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your donation. Tax ID# 20-8448707.
