“Wouldn’t Have Pulled Through”: Olympic Legend Michael Phelps Once Recalled His Near Death Experience at Just 2 Years Old

Michael Phelps is an Olympic legend. The ‘Baltimore Bullet’ captivated audiences in four Olympic games and left a legacy that may remain unmatched. The most decorated Olympian won 23 gold medals during his legendary Olympic career. He also won three silver and two bronze medals. However, Phelps’ illustrious and historic career might have never materialized.

Long before battling for gold medals inside the pool, Phelps battled death. When he was only two years old, Michael caught a mysterious fever. Within a few hours, Phelps was at death’s door and wouldn’t have made it if not for the actions of one man.

Michael Phelps recalled his near-death experience:

Michael Phelps once wrote about his near-death experience in his book, “Beneath the Surface: My Story”. On Christmas Eve 1987, Michael Phelps developed a fever. While everything seemed normal at first, it kept getting worse. Within a few hours, things got out of hand. “My parents called my pediatrician who told them to get me to an emergency room right away.”, wrote Phelps.

In 1987, Phelps was only two years old, which made things even more difficult. However, Michael’s father Fred was a Maryland State Trooper. “He put me into his police car and started flying toward Franklin Square Hospital, 45 minutes away from our house in Whiteford, Maryland.”, Phelps recalled. Fred blared the siren and flashed all the lights of his car, reaching in the nick of time.

The doctors diagnosed Phelps and saved his life. “If the infection hadn’t been treated within a few hours, I probably wouldn’t have pulled through.”, they later told the Olympian’s parents. Michael found out that he had contracted a severe viral infection. The infection drove Michael’s body temperature to 104 and lowered his white blood cell count within hours.

READ MORE: Michael Phelps Was Stunned After US Team Dropped Their Best Swimmer at 4×200 Freestyle Relay in Tokyo Olympics: “Makes It a Lot Harder to Win the Gold”

While growing up, Michael’s relationship with his father became complicated. However, on that fateful day in 1987, Fred’s actions gave doctors enough time to save Michael’s life.

The first Olympics

The ‘Baltimore Bullet’ qualified for the 2000 Olympics. A little over a decade after his brush with death, Phelps became the youngest American male in 68 years who found a place on the U.S. Olympics swimming team. Ralph Flanagan was the only other swimmer younger than Phelps to make the U.S. Olympic swimming team.

Flanagan qualified for the 1932 Olympics at 13. While Phelps didn’t win any medals, he made it to the finals of the 200m butterfly, finishing fifth.

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Many athletes have spoken about near-death experiences. However, Michael was only two and wouldn’t have made it without his parents’ help.