Mental health was one of the major underlying issues laid bare at the Tokyo Paralympics. While we all heard about high profile athletes and their struggles from a distance, Australian Swimmer Jessica Smith has lived through it. As a kid living with a disability, Jessica wanted to win gold for her country since she realised she could beat all the able-bodied swimmers at her school. It became more than a dream. Swimming was her life's work and her identity. In 2004 Jessica's went to the Athens Games as a favourite, only to have her Olympic Dreams shattered when her health, both mental and physical, failed her. She was suffering from anxiety, depression and a severe eating disorder that was affecting her physical health and her performance in the pool. Eventually, she realised that she couldn't control these co-occurring disorders and continue in her high-performance sporting career. She had to choose between her health and Olympic glory.
Jessica opens up about her struggles in this episode of Butterfly's Let's Talk In-Depth with host Sam Ikin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.