WHITEHEAD Michael

Classification
3.0 (wheelchairrugby.ca, 28 Jul 2021)

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries (paralympic.ca, 2015)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (vancouversun.com, 03 Aug 2014)

Impairment Details
He was involved in a car accident at age 24, which resulted in quadriplegia. (vancouversun.com, 03 Aug 2014)

General
BEATING ADDICTION
He began drinking at age 13, and continued to drink heavily after his accident at age 24. Following the death of his father in 2005, he sought help and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition that is characterised by extreme mood swings. He was given medication to help with the illness, but he stopped taking it and his drinking became worse. In 2013 he was with the Canadian national wheelchair rugby team preparing to compete at a test event in Odense, Denmark, when the executive director of the team was informed that he had tested positive for cocaine at the national championships a month earlier. He was sent home before the start of the competition and later received a 12-month suspension from competition that ended on 19 May 2014. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport [CCES] took into account his prompt admission of guilt and that his mental condition was a contributing factor. After returning home from Denmark, he attended an addiction treatment centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada, and underwent rehabilitation. "I was in so much denial. I was in Denmark ready to play. I was just living an extremely fast-paced lifestyle that was very, very destructive. But that was my bottom right there. When they called me in my room at 05:30 in the morning, that was the end. I gave up at that point. I stopped the fight. I put up my hands and needed help. I was done lying. The lies were over. When I left Denmark was when I decided to get sober." (vancouversun.com, 03 Aug 2014)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
He coached the Canadian wheelchair rugby team at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, ON, Canada. He has been involved in the 'Soldier On' programme of the Canadian Armed Forces [CAF], which helps injured veterans get involved in sport. "It's all about adapting and overcoming from an injury or illness. We do that through sport. Sport leads to recovery. It's changed my life because I can see what sport can do. Sport skills are life skills. I like to share that." He was elected to the Canadian Paralympic Athletes' Council in December 2020. (nmymca.org, 08 Feb 2021; paralympic.ca, 01 Sep 2019; insidethegames.biz, 14 Dec 2020)

OCCUPATION
He has worked for VESCO Metalcraft, measuring athletes for rugby wheelchairs. (paralympic.ca, 2016)