'When I was a kid, I never really noticed that I was different'
Growing up with a disability, Ellen Keane felt insecure. Going to college she overcame that insecurity and is now reaching her full potential in the pool.
ELLEN KEANE REPRESENTED Ireland at her first Paralympic Games as a thirteen-year-old.
The Dublin swimmer, now 23, was born without part of her left arm below her elbow. As a teenager, she describes feeling sick with anxiety “trying to hide the fact that she didn’t have two arms”.
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Since overcoming her anxiety, she is keen to get out and help people who might be going through a similar struggle.
“This needs to be talked about. Nobody talks about how uncomfortable it is to not be able to change something about themselves.I have to talk about it. I have to give hope to all the kids who are going through what I went through.”
Ellen will be competing at the European Paraswimming Championships as part of the Irish squad from 13-19 August.
The competition is being held in the National Aquatic Center in Blanchardstown for the first time and tickets are available here.
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'When I was a kid, I never really noticed that I was different'
ELLEN KEANE REPRESENTED Ireland at her first Paralympic Games as a thirteen-year-old.
The Dublin swimmer, now 23, was born without part of her left arm below her elbow. As a teenager, she describes feeling sick with anxiety “trying to hide the fact that she didn’t have two arms”.
Since overcoming her anxiety, she is keen to get out and help people who might be going through a similar struggle.
Ellen will be competing at the European Paraswimming Championships as part of the Irish squad from 13-19 August.
The competition is being held in the National Aquatic Center in Blanchardstown for the first time and tickets are available here.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Ellen Keane P1 paralympics paraswimming resilience