Paige Leonhardt recently opened up about her battle with psychosis following a recent surgery.
The Paralympic swimming star has had to undergo regular surgeries since the age of five when she was involved in a car accident that threw her from the vehicle.
The Tokyo 2020 silver medallist then underwent four years of recovery that included spinal taps, MRIs and operations to remove fluid from her brain.
She also had haemorrhages behind the eyes and suffers from drusens, yellow deposits under the retinas.
The 25-year-old continues to suffer hemiplegia on her right side as well as intracranial hypertension, epilepsy and autism.
And on Instagram, Leonhardt recently told of the struggle of dealing with psychosis.
Paige Leonhardt took to Instagram, detailing her heartbreaking struggle with psychosis since her most recent surgery
Leonhardt followed up on her Instagram story saying she would share more when the time is right
A crash at five years old left Leonhardt with lifelong injuries which she conquered to claim a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games
In a post on the social media platform, the three-time Paralympian initially acknowledged her lack of posts before detailing the battle she has been going through after her most recent surgery.
‘I’ve been quiet for a while because life changed in ways I never expected,’ she wrote.
‘I experienced my first psychosis post my recent surgery, and since then I’ve been trying to find my footing again.
‘Recovery hasn’t been linear, and one of the hardest parts has been adjusting to the weight gain caused by medication.
‘I don’t feel like myself and it’s scary and upsetting to feel traumatised and stressed. It’s been difficult emotionally and physically, but I’m learning that healing sometimes means surviving first, understanding later.
‘Going through a psychosis at just 25 was terrifying and something I’m so scared to experience again. I’m sharing this because mental health struggles don’t always “look” the way people expect, and medication can save you while also changing parts of you that are hard to accept.
‘I’m still here. Still healing. Still learning to be kind to myself through all of it.
‘I wanted to share this before heading back into training as I feel being transparent and truthful helps me heal all the parts I dislike about myself at the moment.
‘I’m currently working with my QAS support team, my doctors, GP and private psychologist! I’m so grateful for my support network for helping me through the episode and I’m looking forward to my future.
‘A healthy and happy road ahead!’
Paige also vowed to share more on her symptoms and give more details on what she went through, ‘when the time is right.’
‘Psychosis is real and it can happen to anyone. I got through something so traumatic and terrifying but my road to recovery hasn’t been easy,’ she posted on her story.
‘But I’m willing to do the work to get back to feeling like me.’
Her post was met with an outpouring of love and support in the comments as many said they were ‘sending their love and support’ for the swimming star.
Leonhardt initially started swimming at 12 while she was still undergoing therapy from the car crash.
The breaststroke specialist competed at the Australian Championships at the age of 13, where she took home the bronze medal.
She would go on to make her Paralympic debut at the 2016 Games and claimed her first medal four years later in Tokyo.
