“Kept Falling Over”: Olympic Swimming Icon’s Partner Opened Up on the Scary Moment Kids Saw Dad Struggling With Incurable Disease

Olympic gold medalist Michael Klim opened up about his debilitating autoimmune disorder diagnosis recently. The Australian swimmer suffers from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). He first got the diagnosis over two years ago.

The disease attacks the myelin sheaths in the nerves, and damages functioning in the limbs. His health began to deteriorate quickly, and he started experiencing progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and feet.

Klim’s condition scared his children when they found out

Three years ago, Michael Klim called his partner, Michelle Owen, from the Kuala Lumpur airport, scared out of his mind because his legs couldn’t support the weight of his body. He had been experiencing chronic ankle problems and degenerative back issues for a while before his health took a turn for the worse.

The gravity of the situation dawned on his kids, whom he shares custody of with his ex-wife, when they saw him struggle at keeping upright. “There was this one significant moment where Michael kept falling over and unable to hold himself up. And it was happening in front of the kids,” his partner, Owen, revealed on The Project. 

“That was when they really thought there’s something really going on with dad, and it was quite scary for them to see that.” Klim, who lives in Bali, often flies to Australia for immunoglobulin replacement therapy at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. 

In the segment, his children expressed their feelings on the matter. “Yeah, it was hard because we didn’t get to see him for a while,” his son revealed. “But then, when he would come back, it would be a lot of fun.” 

Michael Klim received a lot of support from his friends and family

It took Michael Klim a lot of time in hospitals, going through surgery and rehabilitation before he could start walking again. Nurses helped him get to and from the bathroom, and his partner, Michelle Owen, helped him get around.

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He even gave her the nickname of the ‘human walking stick’ because of his reliance on her for support. Similarly, Klim’s former swimming mates remained by his side. They helped him stay from unnecessary attention from the media and the public. 

They helped him maneuver comfortably in public without calling attention and gave him a place to stay during treatment in Australia. they even kept track of his disease, progression, and recovery. Moreover, the support from Klim’s parents has been unwavering.

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With an excellent support system in place, Klim has been able to deal better with his devastating illness. There have been incredibly hard days for the swimmer, the possibility of ending up in a wheelchair ever-present. But he eventually gained an optimistic outlook about his new life.