“Can’t Let You Put Yourself in a Wheelchair”: Lindsey Vonn, Who Survived Three Back-to-Back Surgeries, Was Forced Into Retirement After Struggles With Health in 2019

At 6, Lindsey Vonn, the ski racing legend, set out with a pair of skis to take on the world. The arduous journey to her Olympic goal was filled with numerous challenges. Vonn faced them head-on and focussed only on giving her best. Fair to say, she dealt with every adversity with just one weapon-‘keep pushing.’ Ultimately, she brought home three Olympic medals and a record 82 World Cup victories.

On the other hand, her zeal to keep going despite injuries and poor mental health did take a toll on her life. Before her final Olympic attempt, she went through three surgeries. The skiing icon endured excruciating pain to continue doing what she loves until she called it quits. Neither tired nor retired by spirit, Lindsey once shared why she had to retire earlier than the announced date.

Lindsey Vonn, an epitome of resilience

The elite alpine skiing racer retired in February 2019. Months after retirement, in an interview, Vonn opened up on the struggles she withstood during the last eight months of her career. Because of the three surgeries she underwent, she had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. She said, “My fiance P.K. (Subban) said, ‘I can’t sit back and watch you do this to yourself. I can’t let you put yourself in a wheelchair.’”

Vonn added that her physical health was very crucial to her. That was one reason she stopped early. She expressed her helplessness, stating, “I’m still young and I’m hurting every day.”

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Despite being filled with ambition, Vonn retired because of physical challenges. The Olympic gold medalist said that it was hard to feel 100% confident without skiing. She added that a lot of time she felt “incredibly insecure, without that anchor” in her life.

Lindsey suggested people be open about their struggles

An adage says, “Happiness shared is doubled while sorrow shared is halved.” It is true in the case of Lindsey. In 2012, the skiing legend boldly stated that it was free and empowering after she opened up about her struggles with depression.

Vonn said that she never told anyone what she struggled with, not even her family, until after she was divorced. She felt opening up was a step she needed to take to move forward. She added, “Therapy and medication drastically improved my life.”

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“I was always the person who didn’t ask for help,” Lindsey said.

However, she suggested seeking professional help if sharing with family or friends was hard. Also, she emphasized that people just need to be open about their healthcare struggles and the support they need.