Aly Raisman, the former Olympic gymnast, shared her experience of being hospitalized multiple times due to "stroke-like symptoms."
On July 17, the 30-year-old athlete appeared on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, where she discussed how stress and trauma have significantly impacted her health. Raisman recalled a powerful Instagram post that resonated with her: “If you don’t pick a day to rest, your body will pick it for you.” This message encapsulated her recent health scares.
“It’s happened twice where the symptoms were so intense,” Raisman said. “I experience various minor issues depending on my situation, but I’ve had episodes with literal stroke-like symptoms. I couldn’t remember my name, my speech was slurred, and I could barely talk. Both times, I underwent tests for a stroke because I was unable to move my body.”
Raisman explained that the frightening aspect of these incidents was exacerbated by her past trauma with a doctor. In 2017, she was among the gymnasts who accused U.S. gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. Nassar later pleaded guilty to numerous charges and was sentenced to 175 years in prison in 2018.
“The first time it happened was during COVID. They wouldn’t let my mom accompany me in the ambulance,” Raisman recalled. “I was aware enough to think, ‘Oh my God, I’m with two men, and I can’t move or speak. What if they take advantage of me?’”
She continued, “I was still struggling with PTSD. People don’t realize how long trauma stays with you. That made it incredibly difficult.”
The second occurrence, which happened a year and a half later, left Raisman hospitalized for three days with “complete body paralysis.” “They wouldn’t discharge me because I couldn’t sit up on my own. It took me so long to regain basic functions like walking or going to the bathroom,” she explained. “It was the hardest thing to go from being an athlete who pushed herself to the limit to not being able to move my fingers or legs. It was terrifying.”
Raisman also mentioned that she was initially “ignored” by the hospital staff until they recognized her. “It’s appalling,” she said. “Everyone deserves excellent medical treatment. They only started treating me well when they realized I was a high-level athlete, which was triggering because of my trust issues with doctors.”
Now, Raisman is learning to manage her stress and trauma through therapy to prevent these episodes from affecting her health. She joined ESPN as a gymnastics analyst in January and is preparing for a significant test of her resilience later this month in France for the 2024 Paris Olympics. She will serve as an official hospitality ambassador alongside Michael Phelps.
“I’m going to be very busy, and there will be many triggers. I might encounter people who didn’t protect me in the past,” Raisman said. “So, I’m working on coping strategies. It’s very complicated.”
The Quran - Chapter Al-Hashr: 22
He is Allah—there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him: Knower of the seen and unseen. He is the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
