“It’s Life-Decimating”: Olympian Bed-Ridden for 22 Hours a Day With Rare Disease Diagnosis
The British sprinter now spends more than 22 hours a day in bed, and simple conversations or bright lights can trigger crashes lasting months.
- At 32, British sprinter Dobbin has been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis , a chronic disease leaving her bedbound more than 22 hours daily; she has left the house on only five occasions this year.
- Five years ago, Dobbin competed for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics before her health declined in winter 2021-22 following back-to-back Covid and glandular fever infections; British Athletics doctors found no answers initially.
- Simple stimuli like bright lights or loud sounds can trigger a "crash" lasting 24, 48 hours, or months on end. Dobbin warns that even a 30-minute interview could impact her health in 2027.
- During a condensed competitive season, Dobbin struggled through the World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and European Championships, experiencing dizziness and leg numbness; she later described the period as a "year of hell" to BBC Sport.
- Living with ME, Dobbin now only leaves bed to eat and use the bathroom, as routine tasks like attending a blood test have previously left her bedbound for months afterward.
42 Articles
42 Articles
A 32-year-old former athlete is now bedridden for more than 22 hours a day because of a myalgic encephalomyelitis, diagnosed after a double infection with Covid and mononucleosis. It does not exist...
For those who remember it on the track, while running the 200-metre semi-final at the Tokyo Olympics or while wearing the bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, knowing what the conditions of Beth Dobbin are today is a shock. The former British athlete, today 32 years old, spends practically all his day lying in the [...] The article "It is something that has devastated my life, my body is shutting down: the athlete Beth Dobbin spends 22 h…
The Scot told the BBC that he now spends more than 22 hours a day in bed.
Beth Dobbin fell from top level to bedridden in a few years.
The British Beth Dobbin reveals in an interview with the BBC that he has chronic fatigue syndrome
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