Victim 195
date of testimony: January 23th 2018
location of testimony: Lansing, Michigan
statement read by her mother and father
age at first abuse: 13
FATHER OF VICTIM 195: I’ll begin. We would like to thank you, Your Honor, for this opportunity to speak to the court, address the court on behalf of our daughter.
What we have today is actually a letter intended to be read to the defendant. My wife would like to do that, with your permission.
MOTHER OF VICTIM 195: So this letter is from 195 to Larry.
Matthew 11:28, come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. My name is 195 and I am a survivor of Larry Nassar. Six years. For six years I came to you. I trusted you. My teammates trusted you. My parents trusted you. I was 13 years old. I was a child, and you took advantage of it. You ignored my character, my innocence, my age, my purity, and my rights.
Do you remember the injury that first brought me to you? It was a torn hamstring. Did that excite you? Did my injury make you happy because it meant you could do your internal manipulation on me? Was my pain really your pleasure?
I always wondered why you volunteered to spend every Monday night at my gym. You donated hours to fixing us, even though you had a family at home to take care of. You willingly stayed until 11 or midnight with no hesitation.
I gag at the thought of ever thinking of you as a saint, for sacrificing time for us. It was not a volunteered sacrifice for you. It had a price we were unaware we were paying.
In 2011 I fractured my lower back. Do you remember my body from the hamstring injury? Do you know what it feels like to try and imagine what you were thinking about when you saw me? Are you even capable of empathizing with your victims?
How did you face my dad? As a father to daughters yourself, how could you do it? I don’t think you know this but the consequences that so many other victims have stated, that I too suffer because of your actions, have a quickly approaching expiration date. Your sentence does not.
You always told me I was the toughest kid you ever met because of the way I overcome obstacles. You frequently commented on my strength, my ability to push through excruciating pain. You have presented me my next obstacle and I will overcome.
Although I may not have had the strength to see you in person today, I am already on my way to forgiving you.
I’ve watched every video of your statements. I’ve seen your body language. I watched you shake your head, cover your face with your hands and cry. Your emotions remind me you are human. My faith reminds me you are a sinner, and all humans are sinners.
Larry, I forgive the human part of you. I will forgive the monster side of you soon enough, too.
I thought a lot about my statement, whether or not I would even give a statement, what I would say, how I would say it, who would say it. I could have used this opportunity to admit all the ways you have briefly weakened me, but instead I wanted to tell you how strong you have made me feel and how resilient I will be in time to come.
Your actions have brought together an unstoppable group of women. A relentless army. They have shown me a massive amount of support available to me. They have tested and strengthened my faith.
They have challenged my morals. They have built up my character. All the affects of your actions are temporary. You may have taken advantage of my body, but my mind, my faith, my spirit remains steadfast.
I will spend my life getting stronger and you will continue answering for your actions even after you pass away.
I hope that you pray for forgiveness or I pray that you bring sunscreen to where you are headed. I am tough. I am braver than your actions. I am stronger than your manipulations. With this strength I want you to know, Larry, I forgive you.
Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7. Thank you.
FATHER OF VICTIM 195: Thank you, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Thank you. Your daughter is such a brave warrior and you are great cheerleaders for her. She is weary and burdened no more. She is a sister survivor and her strength is shown in her words, and I hope her pain and yours are left here today and that they expire today.
Thank you so much for being here and for spreading her word and showing your strength as a united family. That is so important. Thank you.
FATHER OF VICTIM 195: Thank you.
MOTHER OF VICTIM 195: Thank you.
