Elena Della Donne is a professional basketball player with the Washington Mystics of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

She has won two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2015, 2019) and has been selected to six All-Star teams.

Oh, and she’s been battling Lyme disease for the past 14 years or so–and often does things to raise awareness of the illness.

Now, she has collaborated with Nike on a  “signature shoe.” Here’s how she announced it on Twitter.

Meet the Nike Air Deldon ‘Lyme.’ ?

Inspired by my battle with Lyme disease, this shoe
represents the fight I bring both on and off the court.
Through sharing my story, I hope to show other
athletes what’s possible.

Shop Nike Air Deldon https://t.co/v8kM8chUUr pic.twitter.com/ghQkvgocjU

— Elena Delle Donne (@De11eDonne) October 6, 2022

Here’s how Nike described the shoe on its website:

Meet the Nike Air Deldon “Lyme,” the new shoe from WNBA star Elena Delle Donne. Channel the best of Elena’s versatile game with a basketball shoe designed to keep up with the 2-time MVP. Reflecting her battle with Lyme disease, the lime-green accents represent the drive to continue to fight, even when you feel like you’ve got nothing left.

An article on Sports Illustrated website says:

“Nike touts the model as its most inclusive basketball shoe ever made. The design was inspired by Elena’s disabled older sister, Lizzie; the innovative Nike FlyEase design has a collapsible heel and an upper that opens wide for easy entry. Just step in, press the FlyEase strap to secure, and you are good to go.”

Della Donne has been open about her struggles with Lyme disease. In a 2020 article in The Players Tribune, she wrote:

Taking 64 pills a day is the only way to keep my condition under any sort of control. It’s the only way to keep myself healthy enough to play the game that I love — healthy enough to do my job and earn the paycheck that supports my family….Healthy enough to live something approaching a normal life.

Kudos to you, Elena. May your lime-green accents continue to inspire us all.

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, Board President of LymeDisease.org. She is co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.