Everything You Need to Know on ‘Call Her Daddy’ Featuring Aly Raisman
Aly Raisman appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast and opened up about her childhood experience and recent stroke-like symptoms due to PTSD trauma.
On July 17, the host of Call Her Daddy, Ally Cooper, interviewed Raisman on her podcast. Together they dove into the athlete’s past and the struggles she faced throughout her unique life.
After revealing that she is a victim of former U.S. women’s team physician Larry Nassar’s abuse, Raisman now uses her platform to speak up for survivors of sexual abuse. The former gymnast is in therapy taking small steps to help cope with her past traumas. In the interview, she explained how past events have affected her life, and that “PTSD is not a one size fits all, it affects you in so many different ways.”
The 2016 Olympian stated that she had experienced stroke-like symptoms twice, resulting in not remembering her name, slurring her words, and barely being able to speak.
On the podcast, she described, “The first time it happened was during COVID. And so, they wouldn’t let my mom in the ambulance with me.” She adds, “I was aware enough to know, ‘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?’” The experience traumatized her, as it brought back horrid memories of Nassar.
Raisman told Cooper, “I was really still struggling a lot with PTSD.” And, “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.”
Aly Raisman reveals her health struggles w/ "Complete Body Paralysis" on 'Call Her Daddy,' including two hospitalizations:
— Glitter Magazine (@glittermagazine) July 26, 2024
"I'm slurring my words. I can barely speak. Both times I was tested for a stroke because I literally couldn't move my body. It was so scary."#AlyRaisman pic.twitter.com/BbuoeeXpDm
Just two years after her first medical episode, she experienced another trauma effect. During her second hospitalization, the doctors would not release her because she could not sit up on her own and needed help walking or using the bathroom. Raisman explained that going from being an athlete and having the ability to push herself to her limit to being completely body-paralyzed was incredibly scary.
The athlete expressed that she felt like her symptoms were “ignored” during her hospital stay. She shared, “It wasn’t until they realized that I was a very high-level athlete, that they were very nice to me and taking care of me, which is also triggering for me because I already have trust issues with doctors.” Having to manage her PTSD daily, Raisman explained that she must be on top of her therapy to keep her stress levels down to prevent any future episodes.
Aly Raisman’s Call Her Daddy interview is a very important listen, don’t write it off as a dumb podcast. I hope all in power in the sport listen carefully to how abuse (and the general way the sport was run) impacts a person long term.
— Meghan Robins (@megbrobins) July 18, 2024
In May, the athlete became the official hospitality ambassador for the 2024 Paris Olympics. She stated that the event might be triggering for her, explaining that she “might see someone that maybe didn’t protect [her] in the past. So, it’s working on that. It’s very complicated.”
Listen to Aly Raisman’s full Call Her Daddy interview on Spotify. You can also view highlights from the episode below.
