Michael Klim has revealed devastating details of his “tough” four-year battle with a rare autoimmune disorder that left him unable to walk.
The 46-year-old Australian swimming legend was diagnosed with a neurological disorder, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), in 2020.
The former Olympian has spoken openly about the challenging diagnosis, which saw him lose the ability to walk in just six months and left him bedridden.
CIDP causes the body to attack its own tissue (the myelin sheaths that insulate and protect nerves), causing weakness and numbness in the arms and legs.
Now, Klim has detailed his “tough” four-year battle with the disorder and spoken about the mental challenge of going from being an Olympic athlete to not being able to walk.
Speaking at Drew Barrymore and Wanderlust’s True North event in Sydney on Friday, Klim explained how the muscles in her legs began to “disappear” as she deteriorated.
“At first I had a lot of neural symptoms (most people had cold feet at night or tingling in their quads), but then I started having random sensations in my legs that progressed and got worse,” she shared.
‘Towards the end, my legs would buckle when I walked back. All my other aches and pains started to flare up even more, affecting my daily life from my ankle to my back.
Michael Klim (pictured) has revealed devastating details of his “tough” four-year battle with a rare autoimmune disorder that left him unable to walk.
The 46-year-old swimming legend was diagnosed with the neurological disorder chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in 2020 (pictured above in hospital).
“I almost fell off my feet and within six months I couldn’t walk. I lost all function from my knees down; my muscles were literally disappearing.
‘No matter how many races I tried, nothing could get them moving and activate those muscles.’
Klim, who can now walk with the aid of a cane, admitted that the diagnosis also affected him mentally, as he found it difficult to accept his physical symptoms.
“It was really confronting mentally, not just physically,” she explained while speaking to reporters ahead of actress Drew’s talk at the ICC Theatre.
“I could look down and see these sticks hanging off my body, which for someone who used to pride himself on his physical ability, they were taken away within six months.”
Klim is undergoing rehabilitation that includes plasma treatment, which has helped him gain mobility by reducing inflammation and restoring nerve damage.
“The last two years have been good, but the first two were quite hard,” he said, speaking about the challenges of being diagnosed amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at Drew Barrymore and Wanderlust’s True North event in Sydney on Friday, Klim (pictured right) detailed the mental toll the difficult diagnosis took.
Klim (pictured in 2012) spoke candidly about the mental challenge of going from being an Olympic athlete to being unable to walk due to his deteriorating legs from the condition.
He also praised his girlfriend Michelle Owen (both pictured) for her support over the past four years and admitted it has been a tough journey.
He also praised his girlfriend Michelle Owen for her support over the past four years and admitted it has been a tough journey.
Klim first revealed his romance with DJ Michelle in October 2019, three years after his split from his model ex-wife Lindy Klim in 2016 after 10 years of marriage.
Balinese Princess Lindy has since married property developer Adam Ellis and the couple welcomed a daughter, Goldie, in 2017.
Klim and Lindy remain on good terms and often spend time together with their new partners while raising their three children together: Stella, 17, Rocco, 15, and Frankie, 12.
Swimmer Klim is perhaps best known for his great triumph at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where he took gold for Australia.
In the 4x200m freestyle relay, Klim sent the crowd into a frenzy when he broke the world record in the first leg of the race, setting his team up for victory.
Along with Ian Thorpe, Chris Fydler and Ashley Callus, Klim took home the gold medal, while the previously undefeated Americans took silver.
Speaking about Friday’s historic achievement, Klim described the world-famous moment as one of the biggest challenges of his swimming career.
“That was the biggest challenge we could have had, facing the Americans, who have never lost the event,” he shared.
Klim was previously married to Lindy Klim and they have children: Stella, 17, Rocco, 15, and Frankie, 12. Since their split in 2016, Klim began dating Michelle while Lindy married Adam Ellis (all pictured together).
Swimmer Klim is perhaps best known for taking gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the 2000 Olympics alongside teammates Todd Pearson, Ian Thorpe and William Kirby.
Klim, who won six Olympic medals at three Games, admitted he overthought his career and turned to meditation to focus on his races.
“I was thinking too much; I was replaying the race in my mind 100 times or more,” he shared.
The highly regarded athlete retired from competitive swimming in 2007 and runs a successful swimming school in Bali.
He moved to Indonesia with his girlfriend Michelle after being first diagnosed with CIDP and is now an Australian Red Cross Lifeblood ambassador.
