Former England captain Michael Vaughan opened up on his battle with stress-related illness, which made him vulnerable at the start as even struggled to get out of his house. Vaughan, who is one of the most successful Test captains of England, shared that he has been suffering from stress-induced inflammatory illness for the past nine months. The former English captain turned cricket commentator and critic after retiring from all forms of cricket.
Vaughan, who is the second most successful England Test captain, asserted that he went ahead and shared his story not to gain sympathy but to spread awareness. The 49-year-old revealed the struggles he has been facing for the past few months in his daily life, as he was sometimes even embarrassed to get out of his car.
“Today I have spoken out about the stress related illness I have been fighting for 9 months .. I really don’t want sympathy as I was very lucky to see a specialist early enough to get the right medication to help me … I just want to help people who don’t realise that stress can catch up with you without knowing it and if left alone it can be too late .. Medication has helped me hugely but also many of things I have brought into my life .. Ice baths, infra red, breathing sessions,raw Milk,hydrogen water & immune daily injections .. they all have helped in someway but the main thing is to always stay positive,” Vaughan wrote on Instagram.
“I’ll be honest with you; I was never going to speak about it. But then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, there are probably quite a few people who go through similar and stay silent’. I don’t want this to appear as if I’m after any sympathy, because I’m not. I just hope I can help one or two people,” Vaughan told The Telegraph.
Sharing his experience, the Englishman said that he was embarrassed during the rough patch and even lied to people who asked about his well-being.
“There were loads of times when I wouldn’t go out, because I was embarrassed. Even climbing in and out of a car was awful. I would try to walk over the road to Starbucks, and I’d be hobbling. Somebody would ask if I was OK. ‘Fine,’ I’d reply. ‘Just a dodgy knee,” he added.
Vaughan suggested that it’s important to consult a doctor when anyone is going through a rough patch and struggling with mental illness.
“People always talk about mental illness being the hardest to detect because it’s not a visible injury; it is just something that happens inside your mind. It’s similar to this illness. Over time, it just builds up,” Vaughan said.
“In the end, we’re men, aren’t we? If we can do something tomorrow, we’ll do it tomorrow. But I’ve had this warning in my life, where my state got so bad, so quickly, that I had to go and see someone. Don’t ever think you can’t get treated for something or you can’t get through it. And if you do have the signs of some inflammatory disorder, go to your doctor as soon as possible,” Vaughan added.
Earlier, Vaughan was acquitted of racial allegations by a Cricket Discipline Commission, as he was one of seven cricketers accused of racial remarks during his stint with Yorkshire Cricket. The ex-England cricketer in the past, revealed it took a toll on his wife even though his name was eventually cleared as he also went through a rough patch during that time.
