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Michelle Akers' story (PWC) to feature in ESPN series

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
[I know many people with ME/CFS have mixed feelings about Michelle Akers as a PWC representative as most people would simply have had to give up a competitive, non-paced sport like soccer].

http://realitytvwebsite.com/RealityTVNews/ESPN-s-E-60-Returns-April-13-with-Five-New-Episodes.html

Emmy-Nominated Newsmagazine Continues Innovative TV Journalism, Storytelling
ESPN's prime-time newsmagazine E:60 begins its spring run with five new episodes airing on consecutive Tuesday nights starting April 13 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

E:60, which debuted in 2007, has received 13 Sports Emmy Award nominations, seven this year - the most for any show in sports television. Nominations have ranged from long-form storytelling to investigative journalism, graphic design and music. The show combines investigative reporting, in-depth profiles of intriguing sports personalities and features on emerging star athletes. The stories are presented in a fresh and innovative format that incorporates producer/correspondent story ideas meetings.

A team of award-winning ESPN journalists - Jeremy Schaap, Lisa Salters, Tom Farrey, Rachel Nichols and Michael Smith - appear in each show, with additional ESPN reporters contributing periodically. The program is produced by a group of seasoned and award-winning documentary producers, with content distributed across multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN International and as part of the new ESPN Sports Saturday programming on ABC.

In addition to its 13 Sports Emmy Award nominations, E:60 won a National Headline Award in March, and is a finalist for nine honors in the New York Festivals Television and Film Awards, with the winners to be announced in May.

"We are thankful for the recognition that E:60 has received in its ability to showcase the best stories in sports," said Andy Tenant, executive producer of E:60. "This spring's lineup of investigations, profiles and features is our strongest collection of stories to date."

Some stories scheduled to appear in the upcoming five episodes of E:60 include:

[..]

Michelle Akers: Horse Hero - During her stellar career as an international soccer star, Michelle Akers fought through dozens of injuries and battled the debilitating effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After retiring from the game in 2001, she took on a different battle and has devoted herself to saving abused horses on her farm in Georgia. But, recent devastation to her Georgia farm has threatened her cause. Reporter Tom Farrey details her struggle and the surprising measure she's taking to save her horse rescue operation.

"It's hard to imagine an athlete who has sacrificed more than Michelle Akers," Farrey said. "This is woman who gave everything she had to women's soccer, physically and mentally, helping pave the way for generations of American girls. And now she's sacrificing again, leveraging just about everything she has, for the sake of horses others have given up for dead. Remarkable."
 

usedtobeperkytina

Senior Member
Messages
1,479
Location
Clay, Alabama
I do not think we have enough evidence to judge whether someone else has CFS, to question their diagnosis.

I don't understand how Cher is able to do her shows with that big headdress in Los Vegas.

I think it would be unfair for someone to see me on a good day and determine I don't have a real illness. We already have doctors doing that. Let's not do that to each other.

We don't know all the circumstances.

Tina
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
I do not think we have enough evidence to judge whether someone else has CFS, to question their diagnosis.
It is not about questioning her diagnosis (in terms of my own personal doubts of her as a public face of CFS - others may be different) but I don't think it is that representative of the illness. Also, whatever about doing a bit of paced exercise, I don't think people with CFS should try to play competitive soccer - I think it just leads to relapses.
 

usedtobeperkytina

Senior Member
Messages
1,479
Location
Clay, Alabama
I would agree with you that a woman playing soccer may not represent what it is like for most of the people living with CFS. Of course, in 2007, I had a good day. I climbed up three flights of stairs and slid down a large slide. Someone got a photo of me.

Of course, I could only do it once. And a week later, I was in the bed for three days.

Any famous bedridden CFS patients willing to step up to the plate? Laura Hillenbrand, best we can do. She did what she could while her book and the movie were big. But there wasn't any filming. She did interviews through phone. So we still had no visual. Even her pictures did not reflect the real illness. She just described it. Even the people who show up at the CFSAC do not represent what many with this illness deal with. I was glad to see that young woman send her video where she could barely talk. Now if only we could get someone famous to do that in front of the camera.

Maybe we need a movie to be made, with actors portraying us sick people. Been done for other illnesses. Remember "Awakenings".

Tina
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
I would agree with you that a woman playing soccer may not represent what it is like for most of the people living with CFS. Of course, in 2007, I had a good day. I climbed up three flights of stairs and slid down a large slide. Someone got a photo of me.

Of course, I could only do it once. And a week later, I was in the bed for three days.

Any famous bedridden CFS patients willing to step up to the plate? Laura Hillenbrand, best we can do. She did what she could while her book and the movie were big. But there wasn't any filming. She did interviews through phone. So we still had no visual. Even her pictures did not reflect the real illness. She just described it. Even the people who show up at the CFSAC do not represent what many with this illness deal with. I was glad to see that young woman send her video where she could barely talk. Now if only we could get someone famous to do that in front of the camera.

Maybe we need a movie to be made, with actors portraying us sick people. Been done for other illnesses. Remember "Awakenings".

Tina
Yes, agree more severe would be great.

But even celebrities struggling to work would be ok.

Working full-time can in some circumstances not have too bad an effect on your health if you are at the "top end" of CFS. But I don't really think playing soccer is a suitable thing for pretty much anyone with CFS to be doing. I got up to cycling six miles or swimming 1000m every two days and kept it up for a year as well as college, giving some grinds, etc. But even during the vacation (i.e. no college or grinds) I wouldn't have been able for the sprinting, etc involved in playing soccer. I would make me too ill and my muscles too sore/strained.

That's not to say Michelle Akers didn't have CFS - but playing on probably didn't help her health. Very different situation of course for her as that is what her career is.