{"id":311448,"date":"2018-05-28T07:00:35","date_gmt":"2018-05-28T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=311448"},"modified":"2018-05-28T09:10:43","modified_gmt":"2018-05-28T16:10:43","slug":"olympic-gold-medalist-kathleen-baker-shares-about-swimming-with-crohns-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/olympic-gold-medalist-kathleen-baker-shares-about-swimming-with-crohns-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic Gold Medalist Kathleen Baker Shares About Swimming with Crohn’s Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brie Harnden, Swimming World College Intern.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Over the past few years, rising Cal senior and SwimMac Team Elite member <\/span>Kathleen Baker<\/b> has established herself as one of the strongest swimmers for Team USA. Her Olympic medals, NCAA championship titles and American records are incredible on their own, but the feat is made even more impressive due to her struggle with chronic illness. <\/span><\/p>\n

Baker suffers from Crohn\u2019s disease<\/a>: a debilitating, incurable, lifelong inflammation and scarring of the the digestive tract. This National Teamer offers a much-needed success story for the Crohn\u2019s community and is a source of hope and inspiration to other swimmers struggling with chronic illness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kathleen-baker-rio-podium\"

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports<\/p><\/div>\n

Swimming World: How does having a chronic digestive condition affect your nutrition as an elite athlete?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Baker<\/strong>: It\u2019s a daily struggle for me. Crohn’s is specific for each person on what foods work for them. It\u2019s taken me a long time to figure out what helps me stay healthy and what is easy on my stomach. When I\u2019m feeling healthy, I can push the limits on what foods I eat, such as nuts, raw fruits and vegetables.<\/span><\/p>\n

If I have a flare, it takes me back a step. I\u2019m on a more bland diet such as chicken and rice. It\u2019s hard to get nutrients when you\u2019re not feeling well. I drink things such as Ensure, because it has a lot of calories and nutrients that can replace what I\u2019m not getting from fruits and vegetables. <\/span><\/p>\n

SW: Your Crohn\u2019s diagnosis was made public during your gold and silver medal performances at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Why did you wait until this moment to speak publicly about it?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Baker<\/strong>: When I was diagnosed, I didn\u2019t think it was going to be a big deal. I was given medications and was told they would work. However, that wasn\u2019t my case. It ended up becoming much more significant in my life, and I was spending every month getting an infusion in the hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t want to be known as \u201cKathleen, the swimmer with Crohn\u2019s.\u201d I wanted to pave own way as just \u201cKathleen.\u201d As I got older, I knew that if I were to make a team – such as the Olympic team – I definitely wanted my story to come out because I struggled\u00a0not having a lot of high-level athletes to look up to.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wanted to be a story where something positive comes up when people Google \u201cathletes with Crohn\u2019s disease.\u201d I really felt that [the Olympics] was the right opportunity for me and was going make a difference! <\/span><\/p>\n

\"kathleen-baker-start-100bk-olympics-semifinals\"

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports<\/p><\/div>\n

SW: Despite the difficulties of Crohn’s, you\u2019ve continued to thrive at Cal and break American records as your career has progressed. Do you have to make any modifications in your daily life to allow you to stay healthy and swim fast? <\/span><\/h3>\n

Baker<\/strong>: I make a lot of daily modifications to keep me at my healthiest. When I was younger, I tried to keep everything the same as before my diagnosis, but that\u2019s not possible. I can’t switch out my medications if some don\u2019t work – there aren’t many available. My doctors and I talked about how to get the most of the medications I do have available.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I mostly swim one practice a day, along with doing some work outside of the water. It’s important to work with my coaches, both Teri<\/strong> McKeever<\/strong> at Cal, and David<\/strong> Marsh<\/strong>, the Olympic coach\u00a0who I grew up swimming with. They know when it\u2019s time to back off. I\u2019m not someone who\u2019s going to say that I need a little more rest. I\u2019m always wanting to push it and I\u2019m always fine until I\u2019m not. It\u2019s usually about catching it before I’m “not okay.” <\/span>Something I\u2019ve figured out is when I\u2019m pushing really far, even if I feel great, I still need to take a step back. <\/span><\/p>\n

Also, sleep is huge. I could sleep 12 hours on any night, and that really plays a huge role in [staying healthy]. I think it has helped me stay healthier for longer periods of time, along with modifying the training side of things, because it\u2019s not helpful to be putting my body under such a stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kathleen-baker-cal-award-pac-12-championships\"

Photo Courtesy: Chuckarelei Studios<\/p><\/div>\n

SW: You\u2019ve become one of the most consistent stars on US international teams over the past few years. How do you keep yourself healthy and focused while dealing with the pressures of international travel and the leadership role that emerges with your rising veteran status on these teams?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Baker<\/strong>:\u00a0I\u2019m a bit of a germaphobe, so I like to have a lot of hand sanitizer and wipe down all the things I\u2019m going to touch on the plane. F<\/span>or the stress that comes along with swimming internationally, I try to look at it as a positive one. There\u2019s no greater honor than to be on a USA team, which ever one it is. It\u2019s so much fun for me, and I love every aspect of it. As I become more of a leader on the team, it’s something I\u2019ve really enjoyed. I try to not let in any negative thoughts or get overwhelmed by the pressure. I love pressure; I use it as a motivation. I don’t let it weigh me down.<\/span><\/p>\n

SW: What resources are available for you and other athletes with chronic illnesses at Cal and from USA Swimming?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Baker<\/strong>: I have an amazing trainer at Cal who is on top of everything. She helps me set up my blood work, which I get pretty frequently to check all of my levels for Crohn\u2019s disease. It makes it super easy to be on campus and get a blood draw, then walk straight to class. I\u2019m working with the really great doctors at Cal as well. It\u2019s very easy to get care; we have a doctor just for our team.<\/span><\/p>\n

USA Swimming is a huge support too. We have a great nutritionist who is available any time you need her. She’s really on top of everything and makes sure that anyone who has any type of dietary restriction is covered. She makes sure that we have access to the right foods in different countries. <\/span><\/p>\n

The team doctors for USA Swimming are amazing. I\u2019ve known a lot of them for many years, and they\u2019re great at helping me make sure my medications are available in a\u00a0 different country. USA Swimming also offers the ability to get blood work checked, which is super important for any swimmer – especially one with an illness who can have a lot of nutritional deficiencies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kathleen

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n

SW: What does it mean to have the opportunity to represent the Crohn\u2019s community and prove that an illness does not need to define your life?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Baker<\/strong>: It means the absolute world to me. Just this past weekend, I did a Crohn\u2019s and Colitis walk. A parent of a Crohn\u2019s patient came up to me. Their son had just been diagnosed – he\u2019s nine years old – and they told me that it\u2019s so good to see someone thriving and able to accomplish things who used to be a pediatric patient. That’s exactly what I want to be! <\/span><\/p>\n

I want to raise awareness and be involved more with the Crohn\u2019s and Colitis foundation. I also want not only for kids but also for parents to know that it is possible to thrive in the hard times. It\u2019s horrible when you\u2019re diagnosed or when you\u2019re not in remission. It’s a really hard time, but know that people do get out of it and do really great things! I think it\u2019s great for me to be able to be a role model.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kathleen

Photo Courtesy: Kathleen Baker<\/p><\/div>\n

SW: How have you been able to turn having a chronic illness into an advantage?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Baker<\/strong>: From the minute I was diagnosed, I\u2019ve had a whole new appreciation for swimming. I realized it\u2019s something that can be taken away. One of my first thoughts after diagnosis was that my swimming career was going to be taken away.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had a lot of faith throughout my whole swimming career, and it\u2019s allowed me to really appreciate every moment and enjoy the process. I think that\u2019s what has made me succeed in the sport: I love it so much, and I think of it as a gift.<\/span><\/p>\n

SW: What advice would you give to a swimmer struggling with a chronic illness?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Baker<\/strong>: It\u2019s super important to surround yourself with great doctors who won\u2019t just think of you as any other patient. Every kid’s situation is different, so your doctor really needs to look at the whole you. It\u2019s great having parents and coaches who will never ever doubt your dreams because of a chronic illness. I\u2019m so lucky I\u2019ve been able to have all of that, and no matter what stage of life I’m in, no one has ever told me I couldn\u2019t do something. A lot of it is not only believing in yourself but also surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and support you just the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brie Harnden, Swimming World College Intern. 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