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We are all behind you David! Get well soon!!!
Blatt shakes on his health problem: "I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis"
Shocking letter from David Blatt, which reveals the health problem he faces and sends a message of power and battle.
The Olympiacos coach wanted to share his personal problem with the rest of the world and did so by following the letter through the team's official website.
In detail what the Red Riding Hood coach writes:
“Sometimes your life throws things at you, which in fact have no explanation, meaning or reason. These are the moments that force you to recognize that you have to make choices that will test your true character.
A few months ago I was diagnosed with PPMS (Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis). This disease has many forms and manifests in different ways in every person. It is an autoimmune disease, which can and does indeed change in many ways your quality and your ability to even perform basic functions in ways that have always seemed normal to you.
When I was overwhelmed by the initial shock and pain of knowing that it would change and my life could change from now on, I decided I wasn't going to give up on anything. All I would do would be to adjust and find new ways to continue my life as naturally as possible.
The first thing I did was to look at basketball training methodology in terms of how to solve and overcome difficulties. My process has three steps. 1) What's the problem? 2) Why did it happen? 3) How do we fix it?
Well, the problem is PPMS, which in my case and age first manifests with weakness in the legs. Fatigue, balance and strength are real issues for me. I have started a special training for strength and balance, as well as swimming and aquatic exercises, in order to improve my overall physical condition and help my muscular flexibility and movement. I try to be more active, even when it comes to simple movements, so as not to allow the muscles to contract. I challenge myself to do simple functions that are easy for most but most demanding most of the time for me. I work. I maintain and require more of myself, not less.
Why did it happen? The reason one can suffer from this disease is unknown. As no specific reason or explanation has been given, what remains is to accept what it is and focus on how to do the best it can with the available 'resources' to improve its condition. From today and into the future ... It's easy to fall into depression and physical lethargy. This battle is real and continuous and uninterrupted, as there is no cure for this disease. But they are not deadly. There are people who have to face much greater challenges and have to fight their own battles. Everyone must have the courage and determination not to give up, to move forward and live a life of the highest quality possible. Forget the 'why' in this case. It is not a question that can be answered. Focus on the aftermath.
How do we fix it? Let's get to work. We make a plan. We work hard every day. We hold our head high. We adapt, differentiate, and look for ways to improve or maintain. We are training. We find people who can share it and help us. We are open and honest with ourselves and with those who strive to gain knowledge. We do not hide or shy away from the perception of sensitivity. I am blessed with the support of so many good and dear people. Those whose support and help make me realize that even in the days when I show and function differently, I remain a human being. Those who don't let me forget this, not even when I'm a little 'psychologically fallen' or discouraged. Being sorry for yourself offers nothing, instead cultivating and encouraging a downward path from which it is even harder to climb.
I'm a coach and my job is to lead, teach, and inspire a lot of people. Not being agile or active does not affect my mental ability to do these things. I'm lucky. I have great doctors, coaches, physiotherapists, and management that accept my dysfunctions and help me overcome them. How can I complain? Under no circumstances can and will not. It would be a waste of energy and as soon as I ask my players and the chef to be the best version of themselves, I have to ask or more correctly demand that I do exactly the same.
The great John Wooden once said: 'Things are better for people who do the best no matter what.' My situation is not a ... picnic, but many have a harder time. It is my responsibility to set an example for everyone, to continue their lives in the best way possible and never, ever, but never to surrender or to give up. "
Shocking letter from David Blatt, which reveals the health problem he faces and sends a message of power and battle.
The Olympiacos coach wanted to share his personal problem with the rest of the world and did so by following the letter through the team's official website.
In detail what the Red Riding Hood coach writes:
“Sometimes your life throws things at you, which in fact have no explanation, meaning or reason. These are the moments that force you to recognize that you have to make choices that will test your true character.
A few months ago I was diagnosed with PPMS (Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis). This disease has many forms and manifests in different ways in every person. It is an autoimmune disease, which can and does indeed change in many ways your quality and your ability to even perform basic functions in ways that have always seemed normal to you.
When I was overwhelmed by the initial shock and pain of knowing that it would change and my life could change from now on, I decided I wasn't going to give up on anything. All I would do would be to adjust and find new ways to continue my life as naturally as possible.
The first thing I did was to look at basketball training methodology in terms of how to solve and overcome difficulties. My process has three steps. 1) What's the problem? 2) Why did it happen? 3) How do we fix it?
Well, the problem is PPMS, which in my case and age first manifests with weakness in the legs. Fatigue, balance and strength are real issues for me. I have started a special training for strength and balance, as well as swimming and aquatic exercises, in order to improve my overall physical condition and help my muscular flexibility and movement. I try to be more active, even when it comes to simple movements, so as not to allow the muscles to contract. I challenge myself to do simple functions that are easy for most but most demanding most of the time for me. I work. I maintain and require more of myself, not less.
Why did it happen? The reason one can suffer from this disease is unknown. As no specific reason or explanation has been given, what remains is to accept what it is and focus on how to do the best it can with the available 'resources' to improve its condition. From today and into the future ... It's easy to fall into depression and physical lethargy. This battle is real and continuous and uninterrupted, as there is no cure for this disease. But they are not deadly. There are people who have to face much greater challenges and have to fight their own battles. Everyone must have the courage and determination not to give up, to move forward and live a life of the highest quality possible. Forget the 'why' in this case. It is not a question that can be answered. Focus on the aftermath.
How do we fix it? Let's get to work. We make a plan. We work hard every day. We hold our head high. We adapt, differentiate, and look for ways to improve or maintain. We are training. We find people who can share it and help us. We are open and honest with ourselves and with those who strive to gain knowledge. We do not hide or shy away from the perception of sensitivity. I am blessed with the support of so many good and dear people. Those whose support and help make me realize that even in the days when I show and function differently, I remain a human being. Those who don't let me forget this, not even when I'm a little 'psychologically fallen' or discouraged. Being sorry for yourself offers nothing, instead cultivating and encouraging a downward path from which it is even harder to climb.
I'm a coach and my job is to lead, teach, and inspire a lot of people. Not being agile or active does not affect my mental ability to do these things. I'm lucky. I have great doctors, coaches, physiotherapists, and management that accept my dysfunctions and help me overcome them. How can I complain? Under no circumstances can and will not. It would be a waste of energy and as soon as I ask my players and the chef to be the best version of themselves, I have to ask or more correctly demand that I do exactly the same.
The great John Wooden once said: 'Things are better for people who do the best no matter what.' My situation is not a ... picnic, but many have a harder time. It is my responsibility to set an example for everyone, to continue their lives in the best way possible and never, ever, but never to surrender or to give up. "
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