I’m putting this in FQ rather than Cafe Society because I’m far more interested in the neurology of her case than the fact she is an athlete. I don’t object to its being moved if the mods so decree.
I read this story maybe sometime between summer 2022 and January this year but for the life of me I can’t find it again. The story was probably on the BBC website. It was about a young female athlete, probably aged 18 to 25, from Ireland or the UK but probably not Scotland. She was a member of a team in a football-like sport (maybe association football/soccer, rugby, or Gaelic football). I don’t remember if it was an amateur, professional, or semi-pro team. She developed mysterious symptoms, including a change of personality where she became testy and generally unpleasant. There may also have been physical symptoms. She lost her place on the team. It took her a long time to get a diagnosis, but once she was diagnosed and began treatment, she quickly began to recover her old personality. I can’t remember what caused the issue, whether it was traumatic brain injury, parasites, viruses, bacteria, autoimmune disease, bad reaction to medication, or whatever else. I seem to recall she expressed wonder that her parents stood by her despite her personality change. At press time, she was hoping to try out for the team again. I think the story featured a photograph of her in a hospital bed.
I can’t swear all these details are correct. The story didn’t make that big an impact on me at the time, but I’ve been thinking about it more and more lately.