'Healing takes a long time': Olympian Aly Raisman on her journey, sexual abuse advocacy

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman has been on quite the journey since her gymnastics career came to an end at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Months later, in March 2017, Raisman joined icon Billie Jean King, pro golfer Lexi Thompson and Grand Slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova at the Inspiring Women in Sports conference at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.

Perhaps a springboard for Raisman, later that year she added her voice to a growing chorus of athletes who spoke out about their sexual abuse at the hands of a former USA gymnastics doctor and helped send him to prison.

Since then, Raisman, 29, has heard from countless abuse survivors. Some are older, others are younger. Some have confided in her that she is the sole person with whom they have confided about their abuse.

“I didn’t ever imagine how many people would be able to relate to my experience and my story,” Raisman said Tuesday at the champions luncheon, a fundraiser to support the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center (BSCC) for abused children at the Renaissance Indian Wells Esmerelda Resort & Spa. “I think I realized how many out there have also had their own experiences of abuse, and I realized how many people don’t have a good support system or the platform that I have or the support that I have.”

Those conversations, in airports and grocery stores, are what has helped shape what Raisman wants her next chapter in life to be like. While Raisman said that she continues to work weekly with a therapist through her own abuse and the PTSD that has followed, she wants to normalize those conversations. She wants to help raise awareness of child and sexual abuse and to take the necessary steps toward helping those who have been victimized by it.

Part of doing so comes with a partnership with the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, a non-profit part of Eisenhower Medical Center, ahead of national child abuse prevention month in April. The BSCC provides individual, group and family therapy that address issues associated with children suffering the effects of child abuse and neglect, and who are at risk to be abused.

This is the third time Raisman has partnered with BSCC on their ongoing efforts to raise awareness surrounding child sexual abuse and the need for prevention, education, and empowerment to help ensure every child's right to a healthy and secure upbringing.

Additionally, BSCC will be tying “Passion to Prevent” to fundraising efforts, as the Center is expanding with new facilities to offer more and enhanced services to patients. The campaign will also fund new animated videos as part of fightchildabuse.org and fund more research into child sexual abuse prevention.

“The Coachella Valley represents approximately 16% of the total population in Riverside County,” BSCC director John Thoresen said. “Thirty-three percent of reported Riverside County child abuse cases come from the Coachella Valley. Now, we don’t believe that there’s more abuse occurring here. But on a positive note we believe that better awareness to child abuse, better access to resources provided and a most dedicated law enforcement and prosecutorial staff, the reporting of cases of child abuse is in greater numbers here as opposed to other parts of the county.”

These days, Raisman puts herself in a good state of mind through journaling, gardening, taking her dog to the park, listening to Taylor Swift on repeat and re-watching “Grey’s Anatomy.” She also wrote a children’s book, “From My Head to My Toes,” which is aimed to teach kids about consent and body autonomy.

She said that she continues working through the process of her own healing and hopes that she can help others do the same, with the aftermath of abuse or struggles with mental health.

“Healing takes a long time for some people,” Raisman said. “I’ve been working on that for many years. It’s not an overnight thing.”

Andrew John writes for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Olympian Aly Raisman talks about her journey, sexual abuse advocacy