Elena Delle Donne visits First State School Camp

Olympic gold medalist Elena Delle Donne, who battled chronic Lyme’s Disease, will speak to students at the First State School Camp Wednesday. The First State School offers kindergarten through high-school education to children with diabetes, sickle-cell anemia, severe asthma, cancer and other illnesses that preclude attendance at regular school.

Delle Donne will encourage the students to make exercise part of their lives.

“I personally have dealt with balancing the difficulties of exercising and staying fit while dealing with Lyme disease, a chronic illness,” Delle Donne said. “I look forward to sharing my tips and experiences to help the students at the First State School Camp.”

The First State School program – one of only three in operation nationwide – is a collaborative effort by Christiana Care and the Delaware Department of Education through the Red Clay School District. The first school of its kind in the United States, First State School serves as a quality model for the care of chronically ill children and adolescents for the American College of Physician Executives.

“We are grateful that Elena is so committed to teaching our students new and fun activities that they can do to maintain a healthy lifestyle and achieve optimal health,” said Elizabeth Houser, the school’s program director.

Delle Donne was born at Christiana Hospital in 1989. She won a gold medal for the U.S.during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, and was the WNBA’s 2015 MVP.