Mechelle VoepelESPN.com
Elena Delle Donne of Washington said on Wednesday that she hopes that this season’s rejection of her medical care application due to the effects of Lyme disease on her immune system has not been affected by her status as Acting MVP of the WNBA.
Delle Donne, 30, spoke at the SportsCenter after writing about her situation for The Players’ Tribune. She was asked if she thought that her status as one of the league’s most prominent players affected the decision-making group of doctors appointed by the league and player union.
“I’m not sure, and I really hope it wasn’t,” said Delle Donne. “I hope you would treat me as ‘Player X’ and you will see that I have been treated for something for nine years. You have seen my blood count; I have submitted everything.
“I really hope this was not why this happened. I hope it is doctors who are still unaware of Lyme disease and do not have any doctors with Lyme knowledge on this panel because I am I don’t want to believe that that’s exactly what happened. Unfortunately it could be what happened.
Delle Donne said she had a regime where she took 64 tablets a day.
“I know that taking so many medications a day is unlikely to have a major impact on my long-term health, but I love playing basketball,” said Delle Donne. “I found a protocol that sometimes works for me and allows me to play. But I think I have to be much more open about my treatment that I was private about. Because medical things are not always open. But I think that People deserve my honesty and deserve to see the struggle I’m going through just to live a normal life, let alone be on a basketball court. “
The WNBA is playing a shortened 22-game regular season that starts on July 25 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Some players have opted out of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, while others have done so to focus on concerns about social justice. Players also had the option to request medical exemptions based on their risk factors if they were to become infected with coronavirus. If players are considered medically exempt, they will receive their full salary for the season.
“I saw her as a high-risk player,” said Breanna Stewart of Seattle, 2018 MVP when asked about Delle Donne’s situation on Wednesday. “I hope the league and Elena can find something where they don’t have to be in an uncomfortable situation.”
Phoenix striker Jessica Breland is a player who has received an exemption – because she had Hodgkins lymphoma at college in North Carolina a decade ago. Delle Donne’s Mystics teammate, Tina Charles, is also applying for a medical clearance, but it has not been released publicly whether she has received it.
Delle Donne also had back surgery on three herniated discs in the off-season that she had dealt with last season while leading the mystics to the WNBA title. She said her concern about the corona virus was a key factor in how she had lived her life in the past few months.
“I have been dealing with Lyme disease and other co-infections that have destroyed my immune system for nine years, and I have been immunodeficient for years,” said Delle Donne. “When COVID comes by and I saw that you have to be very careful when you are immunodeficient, that’s me.
“I went through the process with the league to provide all my information. My doctor, who has treated me for nine years, has submitted a letter that basically said: This is not safe for her. When I got the call I was denied, I was totally shocked, I didn’t really understand it, and now it’s almost like being asked to ignore the doctor who heard me and treated me and who made it possible for me to live a normal life with the protocol and treatment he has had me for years. “
Delle Donne said that she would continue to discuss the situation with her wife Amanda and would not take long to make a decision about whether to play now that she is not getting medical relief.
“Fortunately, I am privileged enough to be able to make a decision, and I know that through COVID there are so many people who have lost their jobs, are starving and have no way of making a decision as to whether they want to go their job or not, “said Delle Donne. “I am now in a position where, thank God, it is never easy to lose an entire salary, including endorsements, when I am not playing.
“But I’m in a position where we can find out. We’ll find a way to assert ourselves if I choose not to play. So we’ll see what happens. Maybe that’s good, maybe it’s the.” An awakening for me to talk more about Lyme disease and to fight for people who have been ignored for years, just like me. “
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