Olympic cyclist Njisane Phillip is standing behind the decision of his close friend and fellow Olympic athlete Andrew Lewis who has broken his silence about struggles with both dyslexia and the attention-deficit disorder (ADD).
At a recent fund-raiser hosted by energy company Atlantic at Digicel IMAX in Woodbrook, Port-of-Spain, held in aid of the Dyslexia Association of T&T and the Special Child Foundation at Digicel IMAX Lewis revealed that he was diagnosed at age nine, while attending Dunross Preparatory School.
Fourteen years on, Lewis, 23, said he felt the time was right to come clean with the public and help to raise the national awareness level for these causes which are so commonly misunderstood.
In a T&T Guardian interview Phillip, who also suffers from ADD, admitted to being surprised by Lewis' decision to go public with things he had long kept private, but declared his unswerving support for his comrade.
Phillip is in France competing at a cycling grand prix for qualification in the Cycling World Cup scheduled for later this year.
He also has its sights set on next year's World Championships and ultimately the Olympic Games in 2016 scheduled to take place in Brazil.
He said, "We all have difficulties. We are not perfect. It should motivate and show youngsters that even with difficulties you can still make it and be successful in life. Andrew is a really close friend of mine. I didn't know, but it was nice and brave of him to let the world know about his condition.
"...Haven't spoken to him since and I didn't know till you told me. I think it would create a better understanding and (I) hope it inspires many to come clean."
It's almost impossible to detect that either professional athlete have these challenges. Even with ADD Phillips manages to retain his focus both in training and during competition.
For Lewis, it's the same. Despite being diagnosed with dyslexia the sailor is capable of reading a compass and navigating the vast ocean alone in his laser craft.
And, in no way does Phillip, who has a passion for track and field and boxing too, consider himself as being different. He was convinced that it's the same for Lewis.
Underscoring his commitment and dedication to do his best always Phillip declared he was never afraid to work and make the necessary sacrifices for the national good.
Pointing to his London 2012 experiences, Phillip explained when he missed out on the bronze medal he used to wake up at 4 am to train. Convinced that success has not escaped him, he said training now starts an hour earlier all with the hope of bringing him firmly within reach of a medal.
While Lewis focuses on advancing the rate at which he reads, Phillip was desirous of going back to school.
