McKILLOP Michael

Classification
T37 (IPC, 10 Apr 2020)

Type of Impairment
Cerebral Palsy (Athlete, 07 Nov 2019)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 07 Nov 2019)

Impairment Details
He was born with cerebral palsy due to him having a stroke while still in his mother's womb. He was diagnosed with the condition after he fell down some stairs at age two. "The condition affects the right side of my body and my skills with my right hand and foot are not as good as my left side." (Athlete, 12 Jul 2017; belfasttelegraph.co.uk, 04 Sep 2012; bbc.co.uk, 29 Aug 2012)

General
RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
He suffered a groin injury at the 2017 World Championships in London, England, which affected him for over a year. He contemplated retirement ahead of the 2019 World Championships, but he has since committed to competing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "I feel I've won my first battle in getting back after all the injuries and being able to wake up and run is good day. I intend carrying on until Tokyo but that will definitely be my last Paralympics. I have to take a broader view now and be more ambitious and focus on my family and professional career outside the competitive sport of a Para athletics." (bbc.com, 04 Feb 2021; irishtimes.com, 15 Nov 2019; derrytrackclub.com, 10 Aug 2019)

DARK TIMES
He has been affected by mental health issues during his career. He met with medical staff from Paralympics Ireland ahead of the 2012 Paralympic Games, but it was not until four years later during the lead-up to the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro that he sought help. "Winning races made me forget about it for a bit, but then you would go back to your room and think, 'That's another high gone, where is the next one going to come from.' I was at breaking point. I couldn't go on, I was thinking about giving up on life. I eventually got in touch with my GP and he put me in touch with a psychiatrist. I hid the letters from my parents. I would get them sent to my GP and he would organise another appointment with the psychiatrist. I broke it off with my wife, who was then my girlfriend, around that time. I pushed her away. I was selfish. She has since said that I should have told her and we could have worked through it but someone with mental health issues doesn't think about it like that. I think athletes need to understand that it's okay to feel sad and down but the most important thing is that you have to reach out. You have to talk about it when not everything is rosy in the garden." (independent.ie, 09 Feb 2020)

EPILEPSY
He was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 15. "The epilepsy has to be treated or it could take over my life, and I have to be careful not to overdo training. All the fits happen in my sleep so I know I'm going to be in a bed or somewhere safe, but when you do get one, it can leave you drained for up to a week and you barely leave your bed." (bbc.co.uk, 29 Aug 2012)