Racing Louisville FC midfielder Savannah DeMelo spoke publicly this week for the first time about being diagnosed with Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism, describing her struggles managing the conditions last year but expressing confidence that she can continue to perform at a high level.
Attention was drawn to DeMelo’s health during her team’s March 22 road game against Bay FC. DeMelo felt dizzy and tight in the chest in the first half. Her heart rate wasn’t slowing and she struggled to breathe for about three minutes, she said.
Eventually, DeMelo sat down and told the referee she didn’t feel well. She was stretchered off the field at PayPal Park and taken to a local hospital. It was a scary incident for teammates and onlookers, but the event didn’t occur entirely out of the blue.
DeMelo was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism last fall, speaking publicly about it for the first time with ESPN.
“Playing a 90-minute game felt unbearable,” DeMelo told ESPN. “I would get to maybe the 25th minute, and I felt…
