‘That’s the really hard thing’: Loveland mother continues the legacy of her late son
Ben Morrison was a proud student athlete at Loveland High School, where he excelled on the football and lacrosse fields and eventually graduated in 2020
Updated: 10:49 AM EDT Oct 1, 2022
MEGHAN AND ASHLEY, ALISON, THANKS SO MUCH. WELL, SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH AND FOR MANY FAMILIES WHO LOST LOVED ONES TO SUICIDE, THIS MONTH IS ABOUT HONORING AND PAYING TRIBUTE TO THEIR MEMORY, INCLUDING LOVELAND MOM TORI MORRIS. AND SHE LOST HER SON, BEN, A FORMER STUDENT ATHLETE AT LOVING LOVELAND HIGH SCHOOL LAST YEAR, LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER GRADUATION. AND ALTHOUGH THEIR FAMILY IS LEFT WITH MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, SHE’S FINDING WAYS TO HONOR HIS MEMORY EVERY DAY AND ADVOCATE FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING. AND TORI, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. WE CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH FOR YOU HONORING BEN’S LEGACY AND MEMORY HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO START OUT WITH BEN. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT HE WAS LIKE? AND THEN ALSO WHAT HE WAS STRUGGLING WITH? BEN WAS SO FUNNY. HE WAS JUST AND HE DIDN’T LET YOU SEE THAT UNLESS YOU GOT TO KNOW HIM REALLY WELL. BUT HE WAS JUST THE FUNNIEST KID. HE LOVED TO PICK ON ME. I MEAN, HE JUST, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH WALKING AND TALKING AT THE SAME TIME. AND HE JUST LOVED TO MAKE FUN OF ME IF I FELL OR WHEN WE FOUND OUT I WAS ALLERGIC TO YEAST, HE CIRCLED ALL THE YEAST IN THE PANTRY. I JUST WOULD PULL RANDOM OBJECTS OUT. AND SO THIS WAS HIS SENSE OF HUMOR AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN’T GET TO SEE THAT. AS FAR AS WHAT HE STRUGGLED WITH, WE REALLY DON’T KNOW. AND THAT’S THE THAT’S THE REALLY HARD THING. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THESE SIGNS AND WE DIDN’T HAVE THEM. AND THAT’S WHY YOU ARE ON A MISSION NOW. TELL US ABOUT YOUR EFFORT TO RAISE SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS IN BEN’S HONOR. WELL, I WAS TELLING YOU EARLIER, WE MADE THE DECISION ON DAY ONE THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO BE QUIET ABOUT THIS. WE WERE GOING TO TELL PEOPLE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WE WEREN’T GOING TO HIDE THE FACT. YES. THAT HE TOOK HIS LIFE. AND IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT. YEAH, BUT WE CAN’T HELP ANYONE IF WE’RE QUIET, SO WE ARE PROMOTING MENTAL HEALTH, WE’RE PROMOTING SUICIDE PREVENTION. WE HAD THE FIRST EVER MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS FOOTBALL GAME THAT’S EVER HAPPENED. THAT’S THAT I’M AWARE OF IN THE CINCINNATI AREA. IT WAS BETWEEN LOVELAND AND ANDERSON. IT WAS WELL RECEIVED BY BOTH SCHOOLS. EVERYONE IN THEIR TEAL AND PURPLE, WHICH ARE THE COLORS FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION. IT WAS JUST A MAGICAL NIGHT. I MEAN, IF YOU CAN CALL SOMETHING LIKE THAT A MAGICAL NIGHT. BUT IT JUST REALLY WAS. BUT I THINK ESPECIALLY WHAT YOU MENTION IS TALKING ABOUT IT AND I THINK WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS WHAT WE NEED IN THIS WORLD. RIGHT. WHICH IS IT’S JUST STIGMATIZED. AND I THINK WITHIN THE LAST FEW YEARS, PEOPLE HAVE BEGUN TALKING ABOUT IT MORE. BUT THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF MENTAL ILLNESS IS THAT WHEN YOU’RE AT YOUR DARKEST POINT IS THE TIME WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO SPEAK UP AND YOU DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. SO IT’S LIKE, HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO DO THAT? AND BY CONTINUING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, THAT’S WHERE YOU CAN AT LEAST RELIEVE SOME OF THE TRAUMA OR EXPERIENCES THAT YOU’RE GOING THROUGH WITH THAT SAID, I LOVE WHAT YOU’RE DOING BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR BEN AND YOU’RE DOING A BIKE RIDE THIS WEEKEND. CAN YOU TELL US ALL THE INFORMATION FOR THAT? SO IT’S A POWER RIDE EVENT. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH POWER RIDE, BUT IT’S WHERE IT’S WHERE YOU GO AND IT’S LIKE A 45 MINUTE WORKOUT. THE BIKES TELL IT AND MOVE EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE STATIONARY BIKES AND IT’S $25, IT’S ON WARDS CORNER ROAD. AND SO THAT MONEY THAT WE RAISE FROM THAT WILL GO TOWARDS PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS AND BEN’S NAME AND THEN ALSO PROMOTING MORE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS GAMES. WE HAVE SOME COMING UP FOR BASKETBALL SEASON. WE HAVE SOME WE’RE PLANNING FOR A LACROSSE SEASON. SO WE’RE JUST HOPING THAT MORE AND MORE SCHOOLS GET INVOLVED IN AND GO FORWARD WITH ALL OF THIS. YEAH. AND THAT’S GOING TO BE HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND. SO PEOPLE WHERE THEY CAN GO TO SIGN UP OR IF THEY WANT TO GET INVOLVED, YOU CAN SIGN UP AT POWERADE DOT COM. IT’S A 930 CLASS. LIKE I SAID, IT’S A 45 MINUTE CLASS. KENDRA SCOTT JEWELRY WILL BE THERE AND THEY ARE DONATING 20% OF ANY SALES THAT DAY BACK TO THE FOUNDATION AND IT SHOULD BE A FUN TIME. I’M NOT WRITING. I’LL BE CHEERING EVERYONE ON. BUT YES, THERE YOU GO. WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO CONTRIBUTE STORY, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING YOUR STORY. WE KNOW THAT OUR JATARA MCGEE FIRST COVERED THIS STORY AND THAT’S HOW WE WERE INTRODUCED TO YOU. AND WE THANK YOU FOR KEEPING BEN’S HONOR AND LEGACY ALIVE AND HELPING OTHERS. IN T
‘That’s the really hard thing’: Loveland mother continues the legacy of her late son
Ben Morrison was a proud student athlete at Loveland High School, where he excelled on the football and lacrosse fields and eventually graduated in 2020
Updated: 10:49 AM EDT Oct 1, 2022
As September ends, so does Suicide Prevention Month. On Thursday, Sept. 29, WLWT welcomed Toni Morrison into the studio to tell her story about her son, Ben.Ben Morrison was a proud student-athlete at Loveland High School, where he excelled on the football and lacrosse fields and eventually graduated in 2020.Following Ben’s sudden death in 2021, Toni Morrison has stayed active within the Loveland community. She created the Ben Morrison Memorial Fund which is committed to providing scholarships to seniors from Loveland High School and to “erase the stigma of mental health struggles, opening conversations & offering support to help save the lives of young people in crisis.”WLWT’s Ashley Kirklen and Megan Mitchell sit down with Ben’s mother Toni, to remember the life and continuing legacy of her son, Ben.If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
As September ends, so does Suicide Prevention Month. On Thursday, Sept. 29, WLWT welcomed Toni Morrison into the studio to tell her story about her son, Ben.
Ben Morrison was a proud student-athlete at Loveland High School, where he excelled on the football and lacrosse fields and eventually graduated in 2020.
Following Ben’s sudden death in 2021, Toni Morrison has stayed active within the Loveland community. She created the Ben Morrison Memorial Fund which is committed to providing scholarships to seniors from Loveland High School and to “erase the stigma of mental health struggles, opening conversations & offering support to help save the lives of young people in crisis.”
WLWT’s Ashley Kirklen and Megan Mitchell sit down with Ben’s mother Toni, to remember the life and continuing legacy of her son, Ben.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.