The England forward Fran Kirby has revealed details of the debilitating medical condition that has sidelined her for much of the season and left her sleeping for 15 hours a day and unable to “even get up to make food”.
The 26-year-old has been mysteriously absent from the Chelsea match-day squad for three months with a virus, which is now said to have caused pericarditis – inflammation of the fibrous sac that surrounds the heart, known as the pericardium.
Kirby struggled to have any energy with symptoms typical of the illness being a sudden onset of sharp chest pain, fever, weakness, shortness of breath and nausea.
Speaking to the Chelsea website, Kirby said: “I am feeling 100 times better compared to when this started. I was struggling with understanding how it happened and why it happened as I was feeling good with no injuries and enjoying training with the team, so it was frustrating at the time.”
The England international is yet to return to training but is back in the fold at Cobham. “When I became ill the frustration went away as I didn’t even have the energy to be frustrated, I had no emotion as I was too tired.
“It took over my life in a negative way, I couldn’t even get up to make food,” she said.
“Now that I am feeling more like a human being I can smile again and be in a room with people again. Before when people were having conversations with me I couldn’t acknowledge them I was just sitting there thinking: ‘I am so ill, I am so ill,’ it was just constantly on my mind.”
The focus now is about being patient. “Now I am coming to the other end of it I am back around the girls more, I have the energy to come in or go to the pool when they are doing recovery.
“I want to be back on the pitch more than anyone. I also know it will take time and I am not going to heal overnight and it is a day-by-day process.”
The Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes, who has been fiercely protective of her forward when questioned about the player’s health, said: “Fran is a massively important part of our squad and she knows that. But while winning football matches is important it is not more important than her health.
“Our job, when she is ready, is to make sure she comes back at an even higher level than before.”
