Hey there! My name is Eloise. I'm 24. And I'm (or, I guess, was) an athlete playing VFLW Football for Essendon, as well as studying a Masters in Occupational Therapy.
After a viral infection, and contracting covid twice during 2022, I was unfortunately diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME). After progressively deteriorating over a 6 month period of pushing through (unaware of both the diagnosis and dangers at the time), at the beginning of 2023 I had my worst crash so far, leaving me essentially bed-bound for over a month. Resilience is something that I'd worked on a lot over my time as an injury-riddled athlete, but I don't think anything could've prepared me for this. It is, and will be, a very slow process of rebuilding my life. I'm certainly still right in the thick of it as I write this. This illness is tricky enough as it is, throw in being Asthmatic and having ADHD which, outside of medication, are both largely managed through exercise that I can no longer do... it adds a further complication. I often spend a lot of time reflecting, setting goals, and creating, so I started writing about my experience. I wanted to document it for myself, but I also hoped to find a way to share my experience with others. So if you're reading this, welcome! If you have a similar chronic illness, maybe you can find some solace in my words. If you're fortunate to be free of a chronic illness, maybe you feel some gratitude for your health after reading. Maybe you feel inspired. Or, maybe you think I'm just rambling which would be quite okay too. But I hope that you can take something away from my musings. |