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 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 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 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 trained 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 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 upcoming 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.

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