Getting Her Goal: POWER in Weakness.

Some budget calories. Others budget time. Most budget money, but few budget energy like Michelle Akers--a woman often called the Michael Jordan of her sport.

To one degree or another, the top-scoring United States Women's National Soccer Team member always feels tired. Her health crisis peaked in 1994, when she wandered off the field delirious with exhaustion during a sports festival in San Antonio. After emergency staff treated her on the sidelines, doctors misdiagnosed her condition as mononucleosis and then as chronic Epstein-Barr virus. Finally, nearly a year later, she discovered the cause of what threatened to undo her stellar soccer career and make the rest of her life unbearable.

Akers suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, an illness she unknowingly contracted as early as 1991. For this gifted athlete and 400,000 other affected Americans, the syndrome's cause and cure remain frustratingly unclear.

"It's an aching weariness that no amount of rest or sleep can overcome," shares the 32-year-old soccer phenom with a sport's record of 98 goals. Still, Akers initially battled the disease with white-knuckled determination. When force of will combined with a strict diet and rest schedule failed to restore her health, she felt helpless.

"I think I'm one of the toughest people mentally," she adds from her home in suburban Orlando. "But I was nowhere near being able to press on." During the worst episodes, she says 10 minutes of play wiped her out for a week. At one point she remembers lying in bed asking God to take her out of her misery. "I compare it to the 24-hour flu--only I had it for five years." With no end in sight, she felt emotionally and spiritually drained as well.

As the illness dismantled so much of her life, Akers seemed destined for a despair-filled professional and personal future. But instead of calling curtains on her career, she persisted in finding different ways to cope. In 1996, for instance, she competed on the goldmedal-winning U.S. women's Olympic soccer squad in Atlanta. Though she felt worse and worse with every game, she played by recuperating during off time with rest and an intravenous drip needle stuck in her arm.

Another part of her success in living with chronic fatigue syndrome stems from her commitment to simplify her lifestyle. By ruthlessly prioritizing and focusing, she feels relatively better and manages to compete professionally.

What matters most to Michelle Akers? God, other relationships, and soccer--only the long-term relationships and activities about which she feels passionate.

With that in mind, she learned to save and spend her energy like a miser saves and spends money. During pregame warm-ups, for example, she gauges her energy level to determine realistically what kind of player she can "afford" to be during that game. In this process she tries to be flexible. However, she occasionally misjudges her strength and spends more than she has.

"Sometimes I look at the clock and think, Wow. I have 30 minutes left, and I can barely walk. And now I've dug a huge hole for myself by playing 90 minutes." She may feel "crummy" for a week as a result of overextending herself during a competition. Other games, she feels tired but stable when the last whistle blows.

"Most people who look death or long-term pain and suffering in the face don't mess with the little stuff. We get right to the point," Akers explains. "Sometimes my friends think I'm either coldhearted or too black-and-white. But I don't have the luxury of wasting energy. I can weigh the amount of energy [an activity] will take. If it doesn't fall into my priorities, I don't do it."

Nonetheless, the once-energetic soccer star still inadvertently depletes her strength frequently throughout each day, both on and off the field. So she relies on God for "ready reserve" strength. "During times like this, you either get mad at God or get closer to Him," she remarks. In her case, hardship drew her closer.

"I kind of identify with the apostle Paul when he's praying for God to take away the thorn in his side. God says that in our weakness His power has been made perfect. Without this [condition], I never would have the kind of need I have now for God. Because of my weakness, people can see the power of God in my life. I experience it every day. I know it's real every day."

For more information about chronic fatigue syndrome, call 1-816-313-2000.

Pam Mellskog writes on health topics from St. Paul. Minnesota.