Former Olympic champion Allison Schmitt shares powerful lesson learned after losing someone close to suicide

Former American swimmer Allison Schmitt sent a powerful message as she made her feelings known on realizing the importance of sharing her personal stories to empower individuals struggling with mental health. As a top-notch athlete, Schmitt has faced several mental battles across her career.

Owing to this, the 35-year-old has associated herself with several organizations, such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness, to work towards mental health advocacy and support. In a recent conversation for the organization, Schmitt revealed that she realized the importance of sharing her mental battles in the public domain after her younger cousin died of suicide.

Schmitt added that she felt these stories could help certain individuals and eventually save them. She said (via NAMICommunicate, 4th slide of the post):

"It took me three years to finally get help and be open about my own struggles and that came after my younger cousin died by suicide. At her funeral, I realized: our stories matter. They can connect us. If we share them, maybe we can save lives."

Schmitt has been one of the most dominant swimmers in the circuit during her active years. She has won laurels at major tournaments, including the Olympics, where she earned four gold medals.

Allison Schmitt shared her thoughts on empowering mental health education

Allison Schmitt in 2024 (Image via: Getty)

Allison Schmitt expressed her thoughts on empowering mental health education after the conclusion of her swimming career. Schmitt shared that she wanted to try her hand at teaching throughout her life.

Additionally, the 10-time Olympic medalist also mentioned that she is very passionate about using her platform to make the masses understand and teach about mental health. She said (via Forbes):

"I always wanted to be a teacher my whole life…but I also kind of already started a platform from my Olympics, from my medals that I kind of already was teaching, but I didn’t know what I was teaching. So, I took that platform on as using it as a mental health [platform] because that’s what I’m so passionate about, that’s what I love, and that’s what I can educate and empower others on."

Allison Schmitt also spoke about her association with the program SURGE, which aims to empower young female athletes and help them with their mental health. Referring to the program, she said that the inclusion of kids in sports is very important for her.