Six-time WNBA all-star and Olympic gold medalist Chamique Holdsclaw will make her first visit to Nebraska to speak about her mental health journey on Thursday.
Holdsclaw will speak at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 8550 Pioneers Blvd. The hourlong program, hosted by Bryan Health, comes ahead of Mental Illness Awareness Week, which begins Sunday.
Dave Miers, senior director of behavioral health services at Bryan Health, said Holdslaw is a champion on the basketball court and off.
“She’s a champion in the sense that she’s someone who is speaking out about her mental health struggles,” Miers said.
Holdsclaw, who helped lead Tennessee to three consecutive national titles in the ’90s, was the No. 1 pick in the 1999 WNBA draft and was part of the U.S. women’s basketball team that went undefeated in the 2000 Sydney Games.
Amid her accolades and achievements, Holdsclaw was struggling behind the scenes with depression. She attempted suicide in 2006 by overdosing on prescription medication.
Then, after she was involved in a 2012 shooting in Atlanta, Holdsclaw decided to seek help for her mental health. She was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety.
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Holdsclaw said mental health was not a topic of conversation in her household as she grew up, and she realized that she could use her platform as an athlete to decrease stigma.
“I was just really empowered to make a change and be a beacon of hope for others,” Holdsclaw said.
Since retiring from professional basketball in 2009, the 48-year-old has become a traveling advocate with hopes to inspire others to have more open conversations about mental health.
Being a constant advocate can get heavy, Holdsclaw said. It’s moments of connection that motivate her, such as a mother sharing with Holdsclaw that she lost her son to mental illness and telling Holdsclaw never to stop sharing her story.
“That’s when I’m like, OK, I may go through these tough times, but you’re called to do something, and this is just a reminder,” Holdsclaw said.
Holdsclaw will sign copies of her book after her presentation, and a mental health fair before and after the program will showcase resources available to the community.
The event is free to the public, and attendees should register online.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7326 or lziskey@journalstar.com.
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