KEARNEY Tully

Classification
S5, SB4, SM5 (IPC, 12 Feb 2021)

Impairment Details
She was born with cerebral palsy. At age 13 she was also diagnosed with dystonia, which is characterised by involuntary muscle contractions. (bbc.co.uk, 31 May 2018; walsalladvertiser.co.uk, 23 Jul 2015; mmu.ac.uk, 11 Dec 2019)

General
SWIMMING SETBACK
After being selected to compete at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she had to withdraw a few weeks prior to the Games. "Everything was going so well for me and I was selected to swim at the Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016. Sadly, my dystonia progressed and I had to withdraw from the Games two weeks before I was due to fly out. I basically had to learn to swim again and discover what my body could still do or not do in the water. I was reclassified in 2017 because of my increased level of disability and returned to major competition at the 2017 summer [British] nationals." (dystonia.org.uk, 01 Jan 2018)

COVID-19 HELP
When her training was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she used her spare time to sew face masks for her friends and family to use. She also made laundry bags for staff at her local hospital that allowed clothes to be taken home and washed safely. "They are not medical grade [masks], but they made my family and friends happy. I made them from leftover material that I already had. I found a website that had the design on it and printed it off. It would be really easy to feel sorry for yourself and mope about the house, but that wouldn't be good for your mental or physical health." (paralympic.org, 18 Apr 2020)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has been a patron of British charity the Dystonia Society. "It is a real honour for me to be asked to be a patron of the Dystonia Society, an organisation which is very close to my heart. My life with dystonia has not been easy or straightforward, and the unpredictable nature of the condition can be hard to deal with. I am determined to try to carry on with my life and stay positive and I think it's important for people with chronic conditions to try to find something to focus on which they enjoy, whether that be sport or something else. My motto is, 'Life... Be in it'." (dystonia.org.uk, 29 Jun 2019)

CHAMPION CLASSMATE
She grew up in the same village as multiple Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds, attending the same school and swim club. "When I was younger, Ellie was one of my biggest inspirations. In school assembly she was always there with her medals and I remember looking at her and thinking, 'That's what I want to do when I'm older'." (bbc.co.uk, 18 Apr 2016)