Coach Ryan Day, wife Nina highlight mental health with students

HEBRON, Ohio — Ohio State football coach Ryan Day and his wife, Nina, spoke to students at Arts Impact Middle School on Friday about mental health as part of the “Day Time Break” program with Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The couple joined hospital leaders at the assembly to share personal experiences and encourage students to recognize mental health challenges early, stressing that no one has to struggle in silence.

Ryan Day said young people today face many challenges and he wants to ensure they have the resources to manage them. His wife, Nina, echoed that message, stressing the importance of letting students know they are not alone.

“It’s so important to remind these kids that, you know, they’re not alone, that a lot of people are feeling what they’re feeling,” Nina Day said. “I remember being their age and feeling anxiety and not knowing what it was and having no one to really talk about it.”

Nina Day also told students she lived with anxiety for two decades without speaking up. 

“I suffered for 20 years in silence. And this is to show you that you don’t have to suffer alone,” she said.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital Executive Clinical Director Ariana Hoet said parents should pay attention if a child seems persistently sad, anxious or irritable for weeks at a time, noting those changes in behavior may signal a deeper problem. She urged families to start conversations early rather than waiting until a crisis develops.

Eighth grader Julius Scott said the assembly felt personal, sharing that he had lost someone close to suicide.

“Mental health is actually very important to me because a few years back, one of my close friends, a family friend of my brother’s, yeah, killed himself because he was going through mental stuff,” Scott said.

Coach Day left the group with a message of hope.

“Every problem that you guys have, there is a solution,” he told students. “I don’t want anyone to ever think there’s such a big problem that we can’t solve it. But in order to do that, you have to communicate.”

The Days said sleep, diet and building strong relationships are other ways youth can improve their mental health.