The Dunedin-based racer woke up about eight weeks ago with severe chest pains and was rushed to hospital.
After several weeks she was diagnosed with pericarditis — swelling and irritation of the thin, saclike tissue surrounding her heart.
It was understandably a crushing blow to 29-year-old Duncan, who was full tilt into her training for the upcoming motocross season.
“The past eight weeks has been tough,’’ she said.
‘‘I was initially unable to do anything physically. Slowly, over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to do a little bit of low intensity but am struggling to get through that at the moment.
‘‘You realise how important your health is, that’s for sure.’’
The good news is that there is no permanent damage done to her heart.
“There’s nothing to say that it’s not curable and I will get back to 100%. The downfall is we don’t know how long that’s going to take.
‘‘It’s all dependent on different people. It can take longer for some and shorter for others.”
“It’s the opposite of having an injury where you work harder and you make sure you come back stronger and you are ready to go.
‘‘This one is unpredictable and has the opposite effect — you have to do less to get better. The more you do, the worse the symptoms get and it prolongs the recovery, which we have found out over the last few weeks.”
Duncan said after talking to her medical team and her European race team, they had decided it was safest for her to withdraw from the first round of the world championship and potentially the first part of the season.
“It’s pretty tough to accept. We are even struggling to get through a 30-minute session at the moment with low resistance.
‘‘Reality shows that I wouldn’t even be able to get there.”
She had plenty of support as she dealt with a tough time, Duncan said.
Her friends and family, High Performance Sport New Zealand and medical staff had helped
her navigate her illness, and her team and major sponsors were being understanding.
‘‘It’s always nice to know they care about you as a person, not just a racer.”
- By Catherine Pattison
