By Allison Slater Tate, Today, March 8, 2022 (updated April 25, 2022)
After student athletes Katie Meyer and Sarah Shulze died by suicide one month apart, parents have questions.
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
When news broke in March that Stanford senior and soccer star Katie Meyer, 22, died by suicide, it was a gut punch for parents who understood what Katie's mother Gina meant when she said she was living "a parent's worst nightmare" in her interview with NBC News' Stephanie Gosk on TODAY.
A month later, University of Wisconsin-Madison track and field star Sarah Shulze died by suicide.
“We suddenly and tragically lost our dear Sarah on Wednesday, April 13. She was surrounded by her loving family,” her parents posted on April 15.
The statement continued, “Sarah took her own life. Balancing athletics, academics and the demands of every day life overwhelmed her in a single, desperate moment.”
Gina Meyer told Gosk she and Katie's father had no red flags leading up to her death and that she had been in good spirits on FaceTime with them just hours before.
Katie's and Sarah's deaths leave questions about what parents need to know about mental health support on campuses and how they can support their children at college, particularly now that college students seem to be struggling more than ever.
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