Chelsea and England forward Fran Kirby has been out of action since November last year because she was diagnosed with a heart condition called pericarditis but is now well on the road to recovery, the club revealed on Monday.
Kirby, who said last month that she had been hit by a virus that had sapped her strength and prevented her from "getting off the sofa", was diagnosed with the condition after her final appearance in a game against Manchester United.
The condition refers to the inflammation of the fluid-filled sac around the heart and Kirby said she was sleeping 15 hours a day during the early stags of the illness but is now readying herself for a return to the pitch now that the worst is over.
"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," Kirby, 26, said on Chelsea's website https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/02/17/fran-kirby-on-her-chelsea-fc-women-absence-?cardIndex=0-0. "It took over my life in a negative way, I couldn't even get up to make food.
"Now I'm coming to the other end of it, I'm 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... I'm getting there, I have more energy and less symptoms."
Manager Emma Hayes said that although it was important to get Kirby back on the pitch soon, her health was the club's top priority.
"While winning football matches is important, it is not more important than her health," Hayes said. "Our job, when she is ready, is to make sure she comes back at even higher level than before.
"I can also assure the fans they will see a lot more of Fran Kirby playing and scoring goals for Chelsea."
Chelsea are second in the standings, a point behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand.
Kirby last played for England at the Women's World Cup in France last year.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
