Ryan Day and his wife, Nina, have made a sizable contribution to fund mental health research at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.
Per Cleveland.com’s Nathan Baird, the couple donated $1 million to establish the Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund for the school’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.
“Ohio State has been very, very good to our family,” Ryan Day said. “And we feel that investing in the mental wellness of Buckeye nation is a tremendous privilege and the right thing to do. Nina and I know from our own experiences what a great difference mental health care can make in the life of someone who is hurting.”
Regardless of how they feel about the Buckeyes, onlookers praised the Day family for prioritizing mental health.
Ryan Day’s father, Raymond, died by suicide when he was a child. Nina said she didn’t have many resources available when she experienced heightened anxiety in college.
Ryan and Nina have promoted mental health awareness through the On Our Sleeves program, aimed at helping young adults. Ohio State has also added full-time mental health professionals to the athletic department.
The fund is a tremendous gesture that transcends sports.