Beth Dobbin is acutely aware that even discussing her situation might worsen it.
Just five years after competing in the 200-meter race for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics, the 32-year-old now spends about 22 hours a day in bed due to myalgic encephalomyelitis, an illness that brings severe fatigue.
“I’ve done things like go for a blood test, and then been bedridden for months afterward. So, doing this interview, talking for half an hour, could affect me well into 2027,” she shared in a conversation with BBC Sport. “But I thought it was essential to speak out and spread awareness.”
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is a long-term, incurable condition that severely hampers both physical and mental exertion, according to health officials.
Dobbin describes the experience as akin to her body “shutting down; it really feels like you’re on the brink of death.”
Even a simple chat can lead to what she refers to as a “crash,” which can last anywhere from a day to several months. The native of Scotland mainly leaves her bed for eating or bathroom breaks.
Among other symptoms, she deals with frequent sore throats, digestive problems, allergies, muscle pain, nausea, and headaches.
“It’s life-altering, and I can’t seem to express how much,” she said to BBC Sport. “I feel like I’ve lost everything. I still have my family, but I’ve sacrificed my independence, health, capability to work, and the chance to exercise.”
As a specialist in the 200-meter sprint, Dobbin faced Covid alongside glandular infections in 2021-22, leading to what she calls lingering exhaustion from an overly packed season.
She soon started experiencing restlessness and dizziness, even losing sensation in her legs while at the starting blocks for a race, leading to a false start.
“I think I consulted four or five different specialists because my symptoms spanned various systems in my body,” she noted. “All of them concluded it was ME, but they wished it weren’t the case because there’s nothing available to treat it.”
However, she feels a renewed sense of hope following the Covid pandemic, which brought attention to long Covid, a condition with symptoms overlapping with ME. This has highlighted her own struggle, shared by around 400,000 individuals in the UK and approximately 3.3 million in the US, although these figures are generally considered underestimates.
“I knew I wanted to talk about it. It’s not that I wish to dwell on it, but it’s about raising awareness. Unfortunately, athletes are often taken more seriously than others,” she articulated. “Numerous people with this illness have confided in me, saying they aren’t believed, that people think they’re just lazy. I’ve yet to encounter anyone who doubts my condition, but who would suspect an athlete would suddenly stop competing after 20 years?
“I have a bit of a platform. If it happened to most people, they wouldn’t have the chance to share their stories, so I really feel I have a responsibility to do so.”
