5 Athletes with Chronic Conditions

Living with a chronic or long-term health condition can be a battle at times, but it doesn’t mean you can’t achieve great things. To prove that here are 5 athletes who are/were at the peak of their sports whilst also living with chronic conditions.  

1. Larry Nance Jr.

Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 16, Nance hasn’t let it stop him from leading an extremely successful basketball career... He’s played for teams like the Lakers and has even won awards such as MWC Defensive Player of the Year (2015). Around the time of his diagnosis Nance dealt with symptoms such as fatigue, painful cramping and stunted growth. Clearly though, he overcame these symptoms, even growing to 6ft 7! He manages the condition well now, and has found methods that help him, such as playing on an empty stomach. 

2. Spencer O’Brien

Instagram: @spencerobrien

Credited as one of the world’s top female snowboarders, O’Brien was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2014. The disease causes pain, stiffness and more, which of course could make snowboarding difficult. Understandably, after the diagnosis O’Brien dealt with stress and bouts of depression. However, not only did she improve massively health-wise after finding the right medication, she went on to win gold in her 11th X Games appearance in 2016. She also became the first woman to successfully land a Backside 900 trick in the X Games in 2015. That’s two and a half rotations in the air! 

3. Venus Williams

Tatiana from Moscow, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I don’t imagine I need to tell you who Venus Williams is, but I’ll do so anyway. One of the greatest tennis players to ever grace the courts, she was ranked number 1 in women’s singles by the WTA for 11 weeks, is the most decorated tennis player in Olympic history and has many many more achievements on top of that. In 2011, however, she was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome. This is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes symptoms such as extreme tiredness, dry eyes, muscle aches and pains and more. Not ideal for athletes. However, after getting diagnosed Williams got the correct medication and made changes to her life such as adopting a vegan diet, helping her recover. She then went on to win gold in doubles in the 2012 Olympics and silver in 2016, carrying on her inspirational career. 

4. Tim Howard

Jarrett Campbell, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Considered as one of the best ever football (soccer) players from America, Tim Howard was the goalkeeper for multiple American teams and then signed to Manchester United in 2003. Now retired, Howard is still the most capped goalkeeper for the United States men’s national team, with 121 appearances in 15 years. Before any of this however, while in 6th grade, Howard was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and OCD. Not only did he overcome this to achieve all his footballing success, but he has also done lots of work raising awareness for Tourette’s, even being put on the New Jersey Tourette Syndrome Association Board of Directors in 2001. 

5. Jay Cutler

Onetwo1 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jay Cutler is an American former professional American football quarterback who played for the Chicago Bears for most of his career. Cutler managed an impressive career, all while dealing with Type 1 Diabetes, which he got diagnosed with in 2008. This didn’t stop him at all however, and he went on to have his most successful season in 2010, leading the bears to a division title. In 2019 he was also named amongst the 100 greatest Bears players of all time.