“Still struggling a lot with PTSD,” Aly Raisman talks about experiencing ‘complete body paralysis’ after ‘traumatic’ Larry Nassar incident

Olympian Aly Raisman reveals experiencing “stroke-like symptoms” after Larry Nassar incident.

“Still struggling a lot with PTSD,” Aly Raisman talks about experiencing ‘complete body paralysis’ after ‘traumatic’ Larry Nassar incident

Aly Raisman [Image Credit: Imago]

3x Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman recently spoke about the Larry Nassar incident during an interview on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast. She reveals the “traumatic” and “scary” experiences she and other athletes had to face due to repetitive sexual abuse under the pretense of providing medical treatment.

Raisman admits to being hospitalized several times after experiencing “complete body paralysis” with “stroke-like symptoms” due to stress and trauma. Her fear of men spread so far that she was even scared to be in an ambulance with male doctors while she was unable to move her body.

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The 30-year-old explained how she couldn’t move her body, slurred her words, and was “tested for stroke” twice. Nassar’s abuse incident came to light after several athletes suffered from it. More than 265 women attested to being a victim of the ex-US doctor, including athletes like Raisman, Simone Biles, Jessica Howard, Morgan White, McKayla Maroney, and others.

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Aly Raisman recalls the first time she experienced paralysis symptoms and how the doctors did not allow her mother to be in the same ambulance. The incident took place during COVID-19 when she was taken to the hospital for further analysis. 

I was aware enough to know, like, ‘Oh, my God, I have two men (with me). I can’t move my arms and my legs. I can’t move my body, I can’t speak. What if they take advantage of me?
Aly Raisman on Call Her Daddy podcast.

After several athletes came forward as victims of Larry Nassar, the former Team USA doctor was then sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for various sexual abuse crimes. Previously, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison for possessing child pornography.

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Simone Biles [Image Credit: Imago]

Aly Raisman reveals her 2024 Olympics plan after “scary” Larry Nassar incident

While Aly Raisman has been vocal about participating in the Olympics, she noted that she plans to attend the Summer Olympics to overcome her fear and “traumatic” experiences of her past self. Raisman has denied her 3rd Olympic participation but plans to her fears head on as she travels to Paris.

Aly Raisman [Image Credit: The New Yorker]
Aly Raisman [Image Credit: The New Yorker]

She says people don’t realize how much time it takes to overcome “scary” abuse experiences, admitting, “I was really still struggling a lot with PTSD.” Raisman is fully aware of how she can meet someone from her past at the Olympics which may trigger her, but also it is something she has to move on from.

There’s gonna be a lot of triggers. I might see someone that maybe didn’t protect me in the past. So, it’s working on that. It’s very complicated.
Aly Raisman on Call Her Daddy podcast.

Although it’s one of her biggest worries, Raisman is focusing on managing stress and leaving the ghosts of the past behind. She even wrote a book named “From My Head to My Toes” where she spoke about consent and bodily autonomy to young athletes, hoping to keep them safe from such experiences.

She went from being an athlete to staying in the hospital for three days due to body paralysis after suffering at the hands of Nassar. However, she and the other athletes are trying to get past their PTSD and move on with their lives. They’ve all in their own ways tried to educate the sports world and other athletes about their experiences, and the ability to speak up.

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