Love Like Remi

The last person most people would think struggled with mental illness was Remington Young. Remi was a beautiful young woman with a bright future. She was an all-star cheerleader in middle and high school and cheer captain by her sophomore year of college. 

The life of this star athlete at the University of Kansas ended tragically when Remi took her own life in 2022. A quote from the website at lovelikeremi.com says, “All aspects of Remi pointed toward a happy, healthy and cheerful life, and that is the way she wanted it to be ... If you asked 100 people to describe Remi, depressed most likely would not have been a descriptor used by any individual. To others she was a light, a lifeline and a saving grace, but behind closed doors she was a girl fighting a very dark disease.” 

Depression is not a respecter of persons. It can hit anyone, anywhere; it does not care about your gender, race, religion or socio-economic class. We all know someone who is struggling with mental health, the main issue is that most feel like they are battling alone. Most people have no idea where to go for help or have no access to resources. This is one of the main reasons the non-profit foundation, Love Like Remi, was created. The organization started to help student-athletes, but has grown to support much more. 

Love Like Remi was founded with, “the mission to support student-athletes facing the pressures inherent in sports, academics, and society to perform at the highest level,” as stated on their website. 

I asked Carmen Johnson, a close family friend and vice president of Love Like Remi, who is seen as Remi’s “second mom” to explain these pressures. She said, “The fact that it is seen as a sign of weakness — that mental health is weakness. I have a friend whose nephew played on a Collegiate football team and struggled with depression. His mom said he would be ridiculed and get less play time if anyone knew.” 

‘We don’t want Remi’s death to be in vain. We want students of all ages to know there is help out there and where to get it.’ — Carmen Johnson

Johnson went on to share that there is a serious stigma when it comes to star student-athletes and mental health, that it is “taboo” to even talk about it. This is one of the things the foundation hopes to change. They started by focusing on students at the college level, but soon found the need was just as great in elementary and middle school. They have a large focus right now on raising funds to support a program through the Pando Initiative to put student advocates in all five Maize elementary schools. Remi attended and graduated from the Maize High School district. The co-founder of Love Like Remi said Amy, Remi’s mom, had connections with the superintendent at Maize. She knew the program had success in other local school districts and helped form the connection between the Pando Initiative and the district.

Currently, Love Like Remi is partnering with the Maize school district to have a fully funded program in place by the middle of next year. The Pando Initiative hires and trains full-time Student Support Advocates as positive role models for students and to bring students, families and the community together. According to Johnson, the Maize district has already identified 35 students in every elementary school who have a significant need, from home support and self-confidence to bullying. 

The Student Support Advocates assist in the student support role by partnering with administration and school counselors. “The goal," Johnson said, “is to try and identify and catch those students who are struggling with mental health issues early, and help them with coping mechanisms before they get to high school. The goal is to have Student Support Advocates in every school in the Maize District.”

Love Like Remi needs to raise $150,000 for this initiative and is halfway to that goal. They need to raise $75,000 by May 2024, and you can help!

Johnson said it best, “We don’t want Remi’s death to be in vain. We want students of all ages to know there is help out there and where to get it. To know it is not worth dying for because tomorrow will be better. We want Remi’s legacy to live on.”