On the morning of her 30th birthday, Connecticut Sun veteran Tiffany Mitchell revealed on Instagram just why she’s been out of commission since mid-July.
Connecticut Sun veteran reveals she suffered life-threatening illness
Tifffany Mitchell shared she suffered sepsis with six abdominal abscess, which has kept her out of play since July.
Photo by Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
“Overcoming sepsis with 6 abdominal abscess is a miracle,” Mitchell wrote. “Obviously these are some pretty personal moments I’m choosing to share, and these aren’t 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.”
Abdominal abscess is a collection of pus or fluid that forms in the abdomen. If left untreated, it can lead to sepsis, a severe systemic inflammatory response to infection that can lead to acute organ dysfunction. Bacteria from an untreated abdominal abscess can enter the bloodstream and spread to other organs and tissues, which can be fatal.
While the exact details of Mitchell’s condition remain uncertain, it’s clear that the illness that kept her away from the Connecticut Sun was a serious one — and that she’s back healthy.
In the Instagram post, Mitchell thanked her Connecticut Sun teammates for staying by her side during her hospital stay.
“Thank you to my team and organization who supported me through all of this constantly checked on me to send love and prayers during this whole process,” she wrote. “Came to see me in the hospital, sent flowers and just gave me constant reminders of even though I’m not there physically with them, I was still very much apart of them.”
Earlier this month, Sun head coach Stephanie White said she hoped Mitchell would return by the end of the season, but noted she didn’t have a definitive timeline. Mitchell’s exact health status was never revealed, but Stephanie White was emotional when asked about her rejoining the team in street clothes a few weeks ago.
“[I’m] thankful that she’s here with us, and we can feed off her energy, that we can love on her,” White said, per the Hartford Courant’s Emily Adams.
Mitchell averaged 4.9 points on 34.9% shooting in 24 regular season games with the Sun prior to the illness. The 5 ‘9 guard played for the Indiana Fever for seven seasons and for the Minnesota Lynx for 1 before joining Connecticut this past offseason. In her 9-year WNBA career, Mitchell has averaged 8.8 points on 22.7 minutes a night.
Mitchell still hasn’t returned to game play with Connecticut, but she has been practicing with the team for a few weeks.
Mitchell shared a glimpse into her mindset throughout the life-threatening illness.
“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,” she wrote. “Even on the days I had zero fight left in me, the people he put around me during this time allowed me to keep fighting this sickness off each day. 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. Life doesn’t discriminate, it doesn’t matter how healthy you are — your life can change in a second. Be grateful for your health.”
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