Tuesday, June 26, 2012

We Know How You Feel


Image found on Wikipedia

I read this quote from famous sjoggie Venus Williams on the Express.co.uk with a heavy heart:

For Venus, just stepping back on to grass will be a major achievement. “Every morning I wake up and I don’t know how I will feel,” she said. “My biggest challenge now is learning how to live like this.” 
Some days she can hardly get out of bed, her joints hurt and creak. She is on a vegan diet and in an attempt to live with the pain has taken up karaoke, singing away to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. 
“I’m no longer in control of my life,” said Venus. “That’s what it’s like for me now. I suppose though it could be a lot worse.” 
She is suffering from Sjogren’s Syndrome which threatens to rule every minute of her waking day. “Rolling the dice, I call it,” she said. “I don’t know how I am going to be.”
If she cannot hit a tennis ball because of the discomfort, she instead sings along to the music that has become her therapy. Playing tennis is a minor miracle. “I tell people it’s like going to a motor race,” said Venus. “The other cars are ready, the drivers are prepared, only Williams is not ready, not prepared the way she wants to be. 
“But I must strive for what I want and that is to be an Olympian again. Some days I despair, others I feel like I did when I won Wimbledon."

Ah, Venus. We are ALL challenged by learning how to live with Sjogren's syndrome. Hang in there, girl. We're all cheering you on.

6 comments:

cargillwitch said...

I was SO VERY MUCH rooting for her- well,.. still am!. To be honest it is a passive way of rooting for myself.It seems the reality of it is coming home to her - It must be devastating to a professional athlete to lose this edge so abruptly.

Blogger Mama said...

What a perfect thing to say, "My biggest challenge now is learning how to live like this.". Isn't that what we are all trying to do?

Lisa said...

I was infuriated by the comments which followed an article posted on yesterday's Drudge Report re:
Venus' loss. She deserves kudos a dozen times over for striving to remain at the top of her game in spite of health challenges ...
not the criticism that comes from ignorance ...

Omgrrrl said...

I hope that Venus will continue to speak out about her Sjourney.

Anonymous said...

I like her comment on "rolling the dice" it's exactly that !

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