Olympic sprinting icon Michael Johnson was taken aback when a standard workout at his home gym led to an unexpected and frightening health scare.
After completing his usual exercise routine on what initially seemed like a normal August afternoon in 2018, the athlete, once dubbed the world’s fastest man, experienced an unusual tingling in his left arm. This sensation, along with numbness and involuntary movement of his left foot, signalled that something was amiss.
“I hobbled over to my weights bench and thought, am I having a cramp or something? I called my wife Armine over and said: ‘Hey, something feels weird. Something doesn’t feel right,'” Johnson, 57, told the Guardian in 2019.
Initially dismissing it as a minor concern, Johnson soon realised he was dealing with a full-blown stroke. Despite being in peak physical condition and leading a healthy lifestyle, the American, who was just 50 at the time, found himself confronting a health issue that can strike anyone, even a world-class athlete.
Reflecting on the incident, Johnson recognised the absence of pain and any dramatic indication as a stark reminder of the insidious nature of strokes. “I experienced no pain. There was no jolting moment that made me think: ‘I’m having a stroke.’ And I think that’s one of the things that makes it so potentially dangerous,” he said.
The gravity of his condition became apparent only after Armine rushed him to the hospital. At UCLA Medical Center, diagnostic tests including a CT scan and MRI confirmed the alarming truth: he had suffered a thalamic or lacunar stroke, which affects the thalamus deep within the brain.
The stroke’s impact was rapid, and by the time Johnson completed his MRI, he had lost the ability to walk. “I couldn’t stand or put any weight on my left leg,” he recalled, describing how the numbness in his arm and foot escalated quickly, rendering the once indomitable Olympian suddenly dependent on others.
Confined to a hospital bed, Johnson grappled with questions he’d never imagined he’d have to ask. Would he ever be able to walk again? Would he require constant care? “They said: ‘Because you’re in good shape and got here quickly, that improves your chances, but only time will tell’,” he remembered.
As a sprinter who dominated the track in the 1990s and clinched four Olympic gold medals, Johnson was accustomed to pushing his limits. However, in the context of recovery, even the smallest victories posed significant challenges.
He recounted his first physiotherapy session, where it took him 10 minutes to cover 200 metres using a walking frame – a stark contrast to his renowned world record-breaking pace. “I think about looking at myself in the mirror, struggling to hold a balance position for more than 10 seconds, or struggling to coordinate my body when I used to be one of the best athletes in the world,” he said. “But what that did for me is encourage me to channel that in the right way, [and believe] that if anyone can do this, I can.”
Johnson’s resolve to recover was inspirational. He dedicated the following months to tirelessly working on his balance, strength, and motor skills. By December, he had nearly returned to his pre-stroke condition, and by summer, he confidently declared himself “100 per cent recovered”.
However, Johnson’s road to recovery was far from easy or purely physical. His journey also involved a significant mental toll, leading him to develop a profound understanding of the importance of mental health.
This personal battle has now transformed into a broader advocacy for stroke awareness. Having gone through the ordeal himself, Johnson emphasises how strokes can occur suddenly and unexpectedly.
He pointedly advises against complacency, cautioning: “You may be tempted not to go to the hospital. You may instead go: ‘Oh, I’ll just sleep this off. I’m sure I’ll feel better tomorrow.’ That could be catastrophic.”
Strokes are a major cause of death and disability across the world, and Johnson is actively collaborating with the Stroke Association to push their Rebuilding Lives campaign forward. With more than 100,000 strokes happening in the UK every year, it’s vital to know the signs and act promptly.
Johnson’s experience serves as a powerful reminder that stroke can strike anyone, at any time. He firmly believes in the importance of self-awareness, and his advice for the public is simple but powerful. “Be your own case manager. Understand your own health, understand the risk factors, and understand how you can take control,” he said.