Michelle Akers (Olympics Gold Medalist and World Cup Champion soccer player)
shares her testimony as the “best women’s soccer player on the planet”. But
life for Michelle doesn’t consist of only victories and honors, she sick
with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and she’s holding on by the very will and
courage that brought her to be the outstanding soccer player that she is.
It all began in 1991, immediately after the first ever Women’s Soccer World
Championship in China. Michelle began to feel tired and lethargic but
thought nothing of it for her travel and career schedule had been extremely
hectic throughout the previous months. She brushed it off as nothing and
went on with her busy schedule of soccer practices, public appearances and
many long plane flights. But as time went by Michelle Akers began to become
more and more worn out than usual. This concerned her and she decided to see
a doctor. As the doctor advised, Michelle rested for about a month and then
returned to her much loved life of soccer.
Two years had passed when Michelle Akers collapsed during a game and
realized that she was sick, not just tired or run down, but really sick.
After various tests consisting of echocardiograms, heart stress tests, blood
tests, and many others, Michelle was finally diagnosed with Mono, then
Chronic EBV, and finally six months later in the spring of 1994, CFIDS.
Michelle now had to accept the fact that this was going to change her life.
She couldn’t just take some pills and return to her normal life, this would
be a battle that she would have to fight for the rest of her life. Many
unwanted changes soon came into play. At her worst, Michelle Akers was
barely able to function or complete day to day activities. It was an extreme
effort to do laundry, prepare a meal, or attempt the exercise bike for a
mere five minutes. Many times, just doing those small chores knocked her out
for days or even weeks.
At her best Michelle could play 15-20 minutes of a 90-minute soccer match,
sometimes even that being too much for her. This was the hardest thing for
Michelle to accept. Before experiencing CFIDS, Michelle Akers soccer
training was more than anyone else on the team, pushing herself to extremes,
and getting away with it. Now Michelle found herself working out less and
lighter than everyone and often not being able to participate in practices.
The symptoms that Michelle Akers faced were overwhelming and sometimes
almost unbearable. They included: migraines, neck pain, night sweats, poor
sleep, weight loss/gain, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations.
Sometimes this would force her to stay in bed for days at a time while she
could be playing in a World Championship, or signing autographs and speaking
to her millions of fans. During these long hours in bed, Michelle often
found herself asking what had happened to that strong, dynamic, tireless
Michelle Akers, and would she ever be seen again?
This is when Michelle realized that she had to make some mental changes as
well as all the physical changes. She began to grow closer to God and
realized that with his help she could get through anything. In her book,
Michelle states “The moment that I just rest, rest in the strength of God’s
perfect grace- is the moment that I overcome. The moment I am whole again.”
The mental changes that she went through were just the thing that Michelle
needed to prepare her for the 1996 Summer Olympics. She performed like the
Michelle that had no fears, the Michelle that outdid everyone, and they won
the gold. But this victory came at great cost for Michelle, each game
drained her to the point of near collapse. The team doctor had Michelle
hooked up to IV’s after every game.
Michelle may not be the soccer player she was before 1991, she may not be
outdoing all her teammates, but Michelle has certainly become a person of
determination and inner-strength that many people have turned to for
inspiration and hope.
Here is how this great female athlete talks to God: “Jesus, you are my Lord
and Savior. I am your child, liberated and depending on your power.
Therefore, Christ, this is YOUR day, to be lived for YOUR glory. Work
through my eyes, my mouth, and through my thoughts and actions to carry out
your victory . . . and Lord, do that all day long. Amen.”
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”