Theresa Plaisance Shares Her Experience with COVID-19
Connecticut Sun's Theresa Plaisance sits down with LaJethro Jenkins to talk about her experience with COVID-19.
Video Transcript
LAJETHRO JENKINS: All right, I'm here with Connecticut Sun forward Theresa Plaisance. How you doing?
THERESA PLAISANCE: I'm doing fine, just trying to stay safe, stay inside, do my part. How are you doing?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Same. Doing the same. Doing the same. You know, trying to do the best we can, obviously. You know, different times. You know what I'm saying?
So, I know most of the WNBA really make your money overseas. You know, you played in China, of all places. And you believe you had COVID before people even knew it existed? What were your symptoms? How was that experience?
THERESA PLAISANCE: Well, I had a game on Monday night, and before the game, I wasn't feeling very well. I started to feel, like, you know, I had some-- some body stuff going on, like just some achiness, and then I kind of, like, developed, like, a head cold, it felt like. Played in the game, woke up the next morning. By 4:00 that day, I had a 103 fever.
And I was taken to the hospital, and I was diagnosed with pneumonia and an unidentified virus. I had really bad body aches. I would-- I had cold sweats. I was throwing up. You know, I had, like, a cough. You know, a hard time breathing and stuff like that. I had, like, a really intense headache too, to go with that.
But the main thing, I didn't have, like, any body strength. I couldn't, like, physically get myself up out of bed and get me anywhere. They had to wheelchair me into the hospital. I had to get wheelchaired to the taxi, yeah. You know, I'm a professional athlete. I, like, push my body to the limit, and it really knocked me down pretty hard.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: How long did these symptoms last?
THERESA PLAISANCE: I had the fever-- the 103 three fever lasted like 2 and 1/2 days, and then when it finally broke, it was-- it got down to a 101, which is still, like, a pretty good fever.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Yeah, for sure.
THERESA PLAISANCE: And I had that for about two days. And then it finally went back to normal. And then, after it went back to normal, my body felt normal again when it came to-- you know, the headache was gone. I, like, barely had a cough. I had, like, a little bit of a runny nose. Like it wasn't anything severe.
It's just-- I had a game. So I got sick. My first day in the hospital was on Tuesday. I had a flight on Friday, and I played Saturday in a game. And in that game and throughout the rest of the half season, I had, like, the hardest time breathing. It was-- it took everything in me to get up and down a basketball court without feeling like I had severe shortness of breath and stuff like that.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: How have you been coping with everything? I know, like, we're all trying to figure out, like, I mean, most of have been have been home for the last two weeks. And you know, we're trying to figure out how, you know, to exist in this new, like, life that we have for the next couple, two or three months.
THERESA PLAISANCE: This is actually-- it's funny that you asked, cuz me and some of my WNBA friends were talking about this. How, like, this is kind of like a WNBA lifestyle when you do go play overseas. You know, the overseas life isn't, like, glitz and glam. It's you go to practice, you kind of go home, and wait until your next practice in the afternoon.
So you gotta-- gotta find time, gotta find things to do to keep yourself busy during the day. I know I like to read. I know I like to watch some TV shows. I've been getting a lot of stuff done around the house and also, you know, getting my workouts in.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I know the WNBA is scheduled to start in May. I've heard people saying that potentially there'll be no more sports for the rest of the year. I don't know if that's going to be the case, but do you think there will be, like, some delays?
THERESA PLAISANCE: You know, with the coronavirus, things are changing, like almost minutely, it feels like. But the draft is still scheduled to be, I think on the 17th. April 17.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Yeah. Yeah. Yep.
THERESA PLAISANCE: And you know, we're going to see how it plays out after that.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Well, it was great talking to you. I appreciate you. I'm glad you're staying safe. I wish you the best on the upcoming season, as well. Hopefully, we do have a season. But thanks for talking to us. Appreciate you.
THERESA PLAISANCE: Of course. Thanks for having me.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: All right. Take care. Be safe.