Monica Seles, former tennis star, addresses myasthenia gravis diagnosis
Former tennis star Monica Seles says she has been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular autoimmune disease that causes muscles to get tired and very weak.
According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no cure for the disease, and it is more common in women younger than 40 and in men older than 60. More than 120,000 people are living with MG in the United States.
Seles, 51, was diagnosed three years ago when she says that she noticed the symptoms when hitting tennis balls with people and would sometimes see two balls coming her way instead of one.
"My MG journey over the past 5 years has not been an easy one. I felt isolated and defeated as many of the activities I enjoyed were no longer physically possible for me," Seles said on Argenx.com. Argenx is an immunology company located in the Netherlands.
"I’ve since realized that by sharing my story, I can raise awareness of this disease, empower patients to advocate for themselves and help them connect with the MG community for support."
The nine-time Grand Slam champion retired from tennis in 2008.
"I had to, in tennis terms, I guess, reset – hard reset – a few times. I call my first hard reset when I came to the U.S. as a young 13-year-old (from Yugoslavia). Didn’t speak the language; left my family. It’s a very tough time," Seles told the Associated Press. "Then, obviously, becoming a great player, it’s a reset, too, because the fame, money, the attention, changes (everything), and it’s hard as a 16-year-old to deal with all that. Then obviously my stabbing (in 1993) – I had to do a huge reset."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monica Seles reveals myasthenia gravis diagnosis
