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August 2, 2024
Retired MMA world champion Angela Lee Pucci is on a mission to build and expand communities for people struggling with their mental health. Through her non-profit Fightstory, she is “uniting fighters, inspiring hope and championing a global movement for mental health and wellness through combat sports.” Lee created the platform in honor of her younger sister Victoria Lee who took her own life in 2022 due to personal struggles.
Lee began her professional fighting career in 2015 and is a six-time ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion. The Canadian-born American retired in 2023 to focus on Fightstory which is working to ensure that “narratives of mental health and illness are not left in the dark.” Believing in the power of sharing personal stories and connecting through lived experiences, Lee has shared her own experiences battling mental health and illness, bravely revealing that she survived a suicide attempt in 2017.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), in any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will experience a mental health problem or illness. Additionally, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15-34 in the country. Further research shows that 1 in 5 Americans suffer from mental illness; in 2024 the number reached 57.8 million adults, representing 19% of the country. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, approximately 35% of elite athletes and 30% of collegiate athletes suffer from mental health issues such as eating disorders, depression or anxiety. However, only 10% of athletes who have a mental illness get care from a mental health professional.
Lee strongly emphasizes the mind body connection, recently stating in Essentaially Sports, “a lot of people don’t realize just how connected mental health is to physical health and emotional health as well; they all play a part in who we are. It’s funny when people say, ‘I don’t have mental health.’ We all have a brain, so mental health is important for everyone.”
She created her non-profit out of a desire for people to control their narratives and inspire healing and acceptance. Lee understands the urgent need to talk more about mental health and is determined to help those battling in silence. “Fightstory is a mental health non-profit created by combat athletes for fighters of all walks of life to share their story, inspire hope and build a community for all to thrive in their mental and physical wellness journey. We believe stories can save lives,” she told ONE FC.
Believing that speaking the truth, advocating awareness and building community can save lives, the non-profit gathers athlete stories on mental health into collections that can be shared and celebrated. Athlete stories sit on Fightstory’s website which encourages other athletes to share their mental health journey.
Lee collaborated with cinematographer Nainoa Langer on her biopic ‘Unstoppable’, which highlights the mental health challenges she faced during her career, as well as her reign as the undisputed ONE Atomweight champion from 2016 to 2022. The film will be shown at the Maui Film Festival this autumn. “Through the creation of this project, I have experienced growth and healing. There is still a long road ahead but I’m thankful to be able to express myself through various arts, which for me is my therapy,” she said on Instagram.
Source: Essentially Sports; Photo: Fightstory
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