Natalie Michelle Black
Natalie Michelle Black came into the world with wide eyes, wonder, and curiosity on January 9, 2006 to Toiwarn and Formeka Black. She was fascinated by everything. It was the beautiful beginning of a very special journey. Natalie has two brothers, Toiwarn (TJ) Black, Jr. and Tyler (TB) Black. In 2011, Natalie gained a bonus mom, Shante Black, who raised her as her own and was also an instrumental part of this great journey.
Natalie was always a shining light where ever she went, made lasting impressions on everyone she met and genuinely enjoyed seeing other people happy. Her personality and laughter was like none other. She was always full of laughter and joy and did all she could to make sure those around her felt the same. She was a true social butterfly and her confidence was through the roof. She was always encouraging, inspiring, loving, thoughtful, and supportive. She was a very passionate person and dedicated herself to achieve whatever she put her mind to. Baby girl was fearless!
Natalie began her love of sports when she was a little girl. As a child Natalie used to outrun all the boys with no shoes on! She first wanted to follow in her fathers footsteps and play basketball, but quickly decided that was not for her. She later began to love dance and she was quite good at it. With her long and lean stature, her dancer stance was perfect. She was always moving, fluid... like water. She flowed easily and elegantly. But even though she loved dance something was still missing. Along the way she was introduced to Track & Field and sure enough she found her passion and herself, a whole new world and a new beginning, and the rest is history. We can recall her enthusiasm when she came home from her first practice. She was overwhelmed with joy and excitement. From that point on everywhere she went she had to be running. She found immense joy and passion in running. The excitement and thrill she found on the track was contagious!
She loved all her friends, her teammates (BMS, THS, MS Track Stars, & Belhaven University) and all her coaches. She was always there to assist anyone who needed her help and would always offer her opinion to others about things that helped her along the way. She appreciated all her coaches for helping her and for standing up for her when she could not. She felt safe, heard, and understood by her coaches and teammates.
During her last track meet, Natalie was full of excitement for her team and was full of happiness. She trained very hard to be the best she could be and she did just that! On Saturday, March 1, 2025 she set a new personal record on the triple jump, taking 2nd place. Seeing her celebrate with her coach was a proud moment. Little did we know this would be her last jump. Later that evening we unexpectedly reached the end of her journey. A great journey it was! Short, but still a great journey.
It was later determined that her sudden passing was due to a condition called Rhabdomyolysis which caused her to experience Exertional Sudden Cardiac Arrest. It is a condition very few people has ever heard of. Natalie's family has dedicated themselves to spreading awareness of this condition in the hopes that knowing the signs and symptoms will save a life and prevent families and friends from experiencing the pain and heart ache they have experienced.
Through education and awareness campaigns, the Natalie M. Black Memorial Foundation seeks to educate as many individuals as possible and reduce the occurrences of Rhabdomyolysis.
