Spikes bite into the track as Michelle Cates pushes forward, legs burning, lungs searching for air that never seems to fully arrive.
On the surface, Cates looks like any other college track athlete: focused, disciplined, and driven. A senior at Piedmont University, she balances life as a mass communications and film double major while serving as a team captain, photography editor for The Roar, and a studio worker. What most people don’t see, however, is the health challenge she has been managing since her first year on campus.
“I knew something wasn’t right,” Michelle said. “I was always exhausted, and it felt like no matter how hard I trained, my body just couldn’t keep up.”
Michelle was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia during her freshman year after Dr. Remel Williams noticed symptoms that felt familiar. Williams, who also lives with anemia, encouraged Michelle to get blood work done. Not long after, Michelle began a treatment plan—and the changes were noticeable.
“After a few weeks on her treatment plan, I could tell she wasn’t as tired,” Williams said. “She wasn’t as out of breath during workouts either. It was like she finally had the energy to get the work done.”
Before treatment, Michelle’s exhaustion went far beyond normal training fatigue. She often felt dizzy, light-headed, and overwhelmed by even basic tasks.
“There were days where just getting through practice felt impossible,” Michelle said. “I thought I was just weak or not doing enough, and that was really hard mentally.”
Once treatment began, those symptoms slowly eased. According to Williams, there was a noticeable difference in how Michelle handled daily training.
“There weren’t as many days where she was light-headed or dizzy,” Williams explained. “Because of that, she was able to handle the workouts better.”
As her energy returned, something else changed—her performance. The work she had been putting in every day finally started to show on the track.
“She got much faster,” Williams recalled. “We started seeing the performances match the work that we put in every day.”
For Michelle, the improvement was validating.
“It was frustrating knowing I was putting in the effort but not seeing results,” she said. “Once my iron levels improved, everything finally started clicking.”
Understanding the diagnosis, however, didn’t happen overnight. Michelle initially struggled to grasp how much anemia affected her body, both athletically and in daily life. Williams believes shared experience played a key role.
“It took her a little bit to understand the importance of her diagnosis,” Williams said. “Sharing my own experience with anemia helped her understand the severity of not knowing early enough and not following the plan.”
That understanding shifted Michelle’s mindset. She became more intentional about recovery, nutrition, and consistency—especially when it came to taking her iron supplements.
“Once she understood what she was dealing with, she managed it really well,” Williams added. “She takes her iron just about every day. On the few days she doesn’t, I can usually tell at practice.”
“I’ve learned I have to listen to my body,” Michelle said. “If I don’t stay on top of it, I feel it immediately—not just at practice, but in everyday life.”
Despite the challenges, anemia has never stopped Michelle from pursuing what she loves. Instead, it has taught her discipline, self-awareness, and balance.
“It hasn’t stopped her from doing anything she’s wanted to do,” Williams noted. “She just knows she has to stay on top of it.”
Now in her senior season, Michelle continues to lead by example—through her work ethic and her willingness to speak openly about invisible struggles in sport.
“I think it’s important for people to know that not every struggle is visible,” Michelle said. “You can still be strong and successful while dealing with something others can’t see.”
On the track, Michelle races against the clock. Off it, she races against fatigue, expectation, and misconception—and every day, she keeps moving forward.
