Depression is an issue millions of Americans deal with on a daily basis but as time goes on, more and more people are opening up to the fact that it’s okay to suffer from anxiety and to seek help to correct the issue.

That’s the message Hayden Hurst wants to get out as he recently detailed the lowest moment of his life, which occurred during his time in Columbia.

Hurst’s story is well-chronicled as the former professional baseball player left the game and walked on at South Carolina, where he developed into one of the best players on the team. Hurst eventually developed into a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Incredibly, his time on the gridiron for South Carolina and the Ravens almost never happened, as Hurst revealed to Chris Porter of First Coast News, one bad night in Columbia quickly turned into a nightmare for the struggling athlete.

“I woke up in the hospital,” Hurst said after a suicide attempt. “I didn’t know what happened. I had to have a friend fill me in. Apparently, I had been drinking and went into my apartment and cut my wrist. My friend found me in a puddle of blood. He called 911.”

Hurst woke up handcuffed to the hospital bed and decided it was time for him to seek help. It’s not easy for some to ask for help but it is okay to do so. That’s the message Hurst is trying to get out by telling his story in the hopes to inspire anyone in need to come forward.

“I want to use my platform to help people,” Hurst continued. “For some reason, people equate mental illness with having to be ashamed. It’s something you shouldn’t talk about. I don’t think it’s anything to be ashamed of. Everybody goes through something.

“The best thing my parents ever did was just being available. There’s not really a right or wrong thing you can say or an answer that can change everything but just making sure you’re available and you’re understanding. If my story is going to change the narrative on this and people are going to talk about it more, then so be it.”

You can read more about Hurst’s story with First Coast News here.