Australian swimming great, Michael Klim has come out publicly to reveal he has been struggling with a rare and degenerative disease of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) the past two years.
Originally diagnosed in 2020 after noticing tingling in his feet, the disease causes a progressive weakening and loss of feeling in the arms and legs. The disease attacks the immune system, which inadvertently damages protective tissue around the nerves.
“In 2019 I started to get symptoms that I didn’t realize were connected to my diagnosis,” Klim said.
“I have been dealing with chronic ankle problems and degenerative back issues for quite some time and over the past few years, I noticed severe muscle wastage in my legs, difficulty with balance, some loss of function from the knees down, numbness in my thighs and feet, to the extent I was unable to stand.”
In the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Klim was part of the Australian relay team that set a world record in the 4x100m freestyle. The three-time Olympian has a long list of accolades that includes: breaking the world record in the 100m butterfly (twice), multiple short and long course titles along with five golds at the Commonwealth Games.
The three-time Olympian has been grateful for the support of his former team mate Ian Thorpe, and his partner Michelle Owens for their support.
“I’m also extremely lucky to have a very supportive partner,” he said.
“Michelle has been there with me every step of this journey, I know she has sacrificed a lot. She is, as Thorpy likes to call it, my “human walking stick”'.
Initially Klim was reluctant to discuss his diagnosis, revealing the effect the condition caused him to feel depressed and frustrated.
Eventually he came to the realization that he was better off being open and talking about his condition, to raise more awareness of the disorder.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph Klim shared that “Only recently I have started to share my story as it was getting harder to discuss my symptoms,” he said.
“We then came to find more people suffering from this condition. It made me realize that this rare condition might not be as rare as I think so I wanted to share my story in hope that more research can be directed towards CIDP.
“It’s hard accepting that my identity will no longer be reliant on my athletic ability. I now need to find a new mindset and mental toughness to allow me to overcome and accept this new challenge.
“Sharing my journey is another part of this healing process and I would hope that it brings awareness to CIDP and resonates with people who may be going through similar challenges.”
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