Victim 73
My daughter doesn't sleep. She has anxiety attacks, some of which have me rushing home from work worried about what she may do to herself. She needs me with her to travel for her new sport because she can't calm herself down without me if an anxiety attack happens or if she has a nightmare.
date of testimony: January 22th 2018
location of testimony: Lansing, Michigan
age at first abuse:
statement read by court official Ms Liddell
This is victim 73.
To whom it may concern, my daughter is a victim of what we used to consider our friend, Doctor Larry. We now consider him the monster that stole my daughter’s innocence, trust, happiness, and zest for life.
A little background on my daughter is that she wishes to remain anonymous. She was one of the greats in gymnastics. I’m not bragging, just stating a fact. She was watched for upcoming Olympics, a dream of hers, since she was old enough to understand what the Olympics were. She could have written herself a ticket into any college program.
As a family we made multiple sacrifices to help her. We spent over $30,000 a year on training, travel, and doctor visits. We traveled to Houston to the ranch many times because she was noticed by a world-renowned coach at a gymnastics meet. We commuted to the best gym in Michigan for her to train 30 plus hours a week.
At ten years old her first injury occurred. We considered ourselves lucky to have access to the best of the best doctors in the gymnastics world.
Not only would this man text and call her, he also communicated with her on social media. He would see her at his home, his office, and at her gym whenever she needed him. He would bring her small gifts. We thought he cared for her and wanted to help her.
What we now know was all he cared about was himself and his sick obsession with children. This monster hurt my baby. He assaulted her hundreds of times over a four year period. She had no idea what he was doing was wrong so she didn’t tell anyone. She suffered in silence keeping his secret.
We as a family are now dealing with the aftermath of Larry. My daughter doesn’t sleep. She has anxiety attacks, some of which have me rushing home from work worried about what she may do to herself. She needs me with her to travel for her new sport because she can’t calm herself down without me if an anxiety attack happens or if she has a nightmare. She thinks she sees Larry every place we go causing terror. She must force herself out of bed in the morning. She does not feel comfortable around her own grandfather, father, and brother because she once trusted Larry not to hurt her and he did so why wouldn’t any other man trusted hurt her?
She now sees a therapist and must take medication daily to control her anxiety and depression. We as a family are trying to work our way through her new normal hoping and praying our full of life, carefree girl comes back to us.
I am working with my employer trying to make them understand why I must miss so much work. We will support her and do whatever it takes to help bring her back. We must try and explain the unexplainable; how a system that was supposed to protect her failed her. How a man that she should have been able to put her full and complete trust in failed her. It is incomprehensible.
It is for the above reasons that I request this court to give this man his full punishment.
This child is my baby. She is a young woman that has the potential for greatness. I beg of this court to give Larry Nassar the full extent of time in jail you hold in your power so he never knows another day of freedom just as just as my daughter will never know another day. And, just for clarification, this is the mother of victim 73.
THE COURT: I understood that as you read it.
I want her to know that her daughter still holds greatness and her daughter needs to realize that. I think at some point when her daughter is ready to listen to all these statements at her tender age, hopefully these will help her as well, because she stands with those sister survivors as does her mother. I want her mother to know that I have heard her and will consider her at sentencing.
