Aly Raisman ‘Hospitalized Several Times’ Due To Stress And Trauma From Abuse

Aly Raisman, retired American gymnast and two-time Olympic gold medalist, is opening up about her past triggers, including her past sexual abuse at the hands of her sports doctor, Dr. Larry Nassar.

The 30-year-old first gained fame for her performances at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where she led the U.S. women's gymnastics team to victory in the team competition and earned individual medals in floor exercise and balance beam.

While she has retired from the sport, Aly Raisman is now an advocate, raising awareness about sexual abuse in sports, following her own experiences--something that has led to being "hospitalized several times."

The Olympian has publicly spoken about her experiences with Dr. Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who was convicted of sexual abuse.

The stress and trauma she endured led to “stroke-like symptoms” and "several" hospitalizations. “It’s happened twice where it’s been this intense," the 30-year-old shared for the first time on a recent episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, per Us Weekly. "I feel like I have different minor issues as well, depending on what I’m going through at the time — where, like, I have literally stroke-like symptoms."

"I can’t remember my name. I’m slurring my words. I can barely speak. Both times I was tested for a stroke because, like, I literally couldn’t move my body," she added.

The former gymnast also let down her walls and recalled the first time Dr. Larry Nassar abused her.

“The first time it happened was during COVID. And so, they wouldn’t let my mom in the ambulance with me,” she said on the podcast, released on Wednesday. “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?’”

Raisman, along with other gymnasts, testified about the abuse she endured and has been a vocal advocate for survivors of sexual assault in sports. Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for multiple sexual abuse offenses.

He had also received a separate sentence of 60 years for the receipt and possession of child p-rnography.

“I was really still struggling a lot with PTSD. People don’t realize how much it still lives with you when you’ve been through something traumatic. So, that was really hard for me,” Raisman said before revealing she had been hospitalized for three days due to “complete body paralysis."

“They wouldn’t release me because I couldn’t sit up on my own. It took me so long. I needed help walking, going to the bathroom,” Raisman shared. “It was the most to be able to go from being an athlete and being able to push myself so much to literally not even be able to move my fingers, move my legs.”

Recounting the abuse she endured, Raisman claimed that Nassar frequently closed his eyes and seemed out of breath while he was treating her. Unaware that she was being molested and still believing she was receiving legitimate medical care, she attributed his behavior to fatigue or jet lag from traveling to competitions worldwide.

“I know people will say ‘Why didn’t she tell her mom? Why didn’t she say anything?’ But those questions are unfair,” she told TIME after testifying. “The fact is I didn’t really know it was happening to me. What people don’t get is that he was a doctor. I would never have imagined that a doctor would abuse me or manipulate me so badly.”

She, like many other gymnasts, looked at Nassar as an ally, especially in such a stressful and physically demanding environment.

“He was always, always, always on my side,” Raisman recalled of her doctor. “He was always that person who would stick up for me and make me feel like he had my back. The more I think about it, the more I realize how twisted he was, how he manipulated me to make me think that he had my back when he didn’t.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or assault, help is available. Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE or visit RAIIN.com.