After sitting out since mid-July because of an undisclosed illness, Connecticut Sun guard Tiffany Mitchell shared she had been in the hospital and overcame sepsis. Mitchell explained the situation on the day of her 30th birthday in an Instagram post.
"Overcoming sepsis with 6 abdominal abscess is a miracle," she wrote. "Obviously these are some pretty personal moments I'm choosing to share, and these arent even the worse, but to be put in a position where I could have given up, I'm extremely thankful and blessed to be able to walk away from this, healthy, in good spirits and back to doing what I love.
"I am entering my 30s full of LIFE, gratitude, and happiness. Ill be be back better than ever!"
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body has an extreme response to an infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, around 1.7 million adults in America develop sepsis each year, with about 350,000 of those cases becoming fatal.
In her post, Mitchell thanked her friends, family and the Sun for the love and support they gave her during the difficult time.
"I had to surrender. As strong you think you are physically and mentally there's some things you can't get through alone," Mitchell wrote. "Thats when you really have to dive into your faith and know [God] will never put you in situations you can't handle. And will always allow a way to see it through. I knew my time here wasn't up, he didn't bring me this far, allowed me to meet and experience the things I have just to leave me.
"... Making it through all of this was a reminder to myself that I'm suppose to be here. Do everything I can to make a difference and I've been given a second chance at life."
Earlier this month, Sun head coach Stephanie White was visibly emotional when she was asked about Mitchell's status and did not have an update of when she could play. However, Mitchell has been back with the team for a few weeks.
"Thankful that she's here with us, and we can feed off her energy, that we can love on her," White said on Sept. 6.
The Sun are competing against the Indiana Fever in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Connecticut has a 1-0 advantage after winning Sunday's Game 1, 93-69. They will meet again on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
