Mystics' Elena Delle Donne hopes denial of medical exemption for Lyme disease not based on her status in WNBA
Washington's Elena Delle Donne said Wednesday that she hopes the denial of her request to be medically exempt this season because of the effects of Lyme disease on her immune system was not influenced by her status as reigning MVP of the WNBA.
Delle Donne, 30, spoke on SportsCenter after also writing about her situation for The Players' Tribune. She was asked whether she thought her status as one of the most prominent players in the league had any effect on the panel of physicians -- which was appointed by the league and the players' union -- regarding the decision.
"I'm not sure, and I really hope it didn't," Delle Donne said. "I hope they would treat me as 'Player X' and they see that I've been treated for something for nine years. They've seen my blood work; I've submitted everything.
"So I really hope that wasn't the reason why this happened. I hope it's doctors just still being unaware of Lyme disease and not having Lyme-literate doctors on that panel, because I don't want to believe that's what happened. Unfortunately, it might be what happened."
Delle Donne said she is on a regimen where she takes 64 pills per day.
"I know taking that much medication every day probably doesn't have a great effect on my long-term health, but I love the game of basketball," Delle Donne said. "I found a protocol that sometimes works for me and enables me to play. But I think I'm just going to have to be way more open about my treatment, which I've been private about. Because medical things are not always open. But I think people deserve my honesty, and deserve to see the fight that I go through just to have a normal life, let alone be on a basketball court."
The WNBA is playing a shortened 22-game regular season, which begins July 25, at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Some players have opted out over concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, while others have done so to focus on social justice concerns. Players also had the option of applying for medical exemptions based on their risk factors if they were to contract coronavirus. If players are deemed medically exempt, they get their full salary for the season.
"I considered her a high-risk player," Seattle's Breanna Stewart, the 2018 MVP, said when asked about Delle Donne's situation on Wednesday. "I hope the league and Elena can figure out something where she doesn't have to be in an uncomfortable situation."
Phoenix forward Jessica Breland is one player who has received an exemption -- because she had Hodgkins lymphoma while in college at North Carolina a decade ago. Delle Donne's Mystics teammate, Tina Charles, is also seeking a medical exemption, but it hasn't been publicly announced whether she has gotten it.
Delle Donne also had back surgery in the offseason for three herniated disks that she dealt with last season while leading the Mystics to the WNBA title. She said her concerns over the coronavirus were a major factor in how she's been living her life the past several months.
"For nine years now, I've been dealing with Lyme disease and other co-infections that have destroyed my immune system, and I've been immune compromised for years," Delle Donne said. "When COVID has come around, and I saw that if you're immune-compromised you have to be super careful, I've been that.
"I went through the process with the league of submitting all my information. My doctor, who has been treating me for nine years, submitted a letter basically saying: This isn't safe for her. So when I got the call that I was denied, I was completely shocked. I didn't really understand, and now it's almost like I'm asked to ignore the one doctor that heard me and has been treating me, and is enabling me to kind of live a normal life with the protocol and the treatment he's had me on for years."
Delle Donne said she would continue to discuss the situation with her wife, Amanda, and wouldn't take long to make a decision about whether she will play, now that she's not getting the medical exemption.
"Luckily, I'm privileged enough to be able to make a decision, and I know there are so many people through COVID who have lost jobs, who are going hungry, who don't have an option to make a choice whether to go to their job or not," Delle Donne said. "I'm in a position now where, thank goodness ... it's never easy when you lose an entire salary, including endorsements, if I'm not playing.
"But I'm in a position where we can figure it out; we'll find a way to push through if my decision is to not go play. So, we'll see what happens. Maybe this is good; maybe this is an awakening for me to speak out more about Lyme disease, to fight for the people who have been ignored for years, just like myself."
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