Faces Of Defiance: 140 Women Tearfully Face Down Pedophile Gym Doctor

Over the past week 150 women have bravely confronted their abuser Larry Nassar in a Michigan courtroom, many in person and some by letter.
The women were composed, steely and refused to buckle under pressure as they delivered powerful statements detailing the impact Nassar's sexual abuse has had on them over the years.
And by using their voices to speak out about this abuse they all made their country proud.
'I want you to know that your face and the face of all of the sister survivor warriors - the whole army of you - I've heard your words,' Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said at one point during the hearing while she addressed a victim after her remarks. 
'Your sister survivors and you are going through incomprehensible lengths, emotions and soul-searching to put your words together, to publicly stop defendant, to publicly stop predators, to make people listen. 

There are now just three women left to speak on Wednesday, and after that Judge Aquilina will sentence Nassar. 
Here is a look at what just a few of these women had to say over the past six days. 

Clasina Syrovy 
Clasina Syrovy takes a moment to regain her composure Monday, January 22, 2018, during the fifth day of victim impact statements against Larry Nassar in Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing, Michigan
Shattered: 'What good is it to teach children to tell an adult if the grown-up doesn't listen, doesn't take action?' asked Syrovy 
Clasina Syrovy said she was abused by Nassar in the early 90s, and described having 'sleepless nights, days of feeling nauseous and more tears than I care to admit' because of his assaults.
She took some time to gather herself before beginning her remarks, which also took aim at MSU and USA Gymnastics.
'What good is it to teach children to tell an adult if the grown-up doesn't listen, doesn't take action?', she asked.
She also asked Nassar if he knew how many victims were out there, a question that drew no response from the defendant.
'You have made it so that I'm embarrassed to tell people I'm a gymnast,' said Syroby.
She also did not hold back when speaking about the abuse she suffered saying through tears at one point: 'It felt like he was ripping my vagina apart.' 



Jessica Smith 

Dancer Jessica Smith, left, next to her mother Kimberly, breaks down, as Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina speaks Thursday, January 18
Smith told the court: 'At the age of 17, I saw Nassar for a very severe ankle sprain. This baffles me, how he made his way to my private areas'
Jessica Smith was a dancer who managed to get an appointment with Nassar after severely spraining her ankle.
He came highly recommended, and she spoke of how beloved he was among her fellow dancers.
'I trusted him.

I trusted that Michigan State University wouldn't have someone who's doing illegitimate medical treatment,' she said in court.
'He had seen people for so long that, if something was wrong, it would've come up.'
She eventually decided to being upfront about the procedures Nassar performed to a few others who had visited him and said she was shocked by their response.
'Yeah, we always joke Nassar is the first guy to finger us,' they said according to Smith. 

Isabell Hutchins  
Molested while she had a broken leg: Former elite gymnast Isabel Hutchins told how Nassar abused her while she was suffering a serious injury 
Isabel Hutchins spoke first on Tuesday, bringing along a box of gifts she received from Nassar over the years.
She brought a long a note too, which Nassar signed by writing 'love you girl' and bandages which were labeled 'Izzy's band-aids for Izzy's boo boos.'
And like Larson, Hutchins recalled how at one point Nassar was too busy sexually assaulting her to actually treat her medical condition.
In that case, it was a broken leg that she was continuing to practice on in the gym.
She finally went to see another doctor, and was shocked when she got a look at her X-ray.
'It looked like an ax splitting a piece of wood,' said Hutchins.
'So for over a month I practiced, competed and made it to nationals on a broken leg because Larry Nassar said there was nothing wrong.'
She then asked: 'Am I still having pain today because my doctor was more concerned with sexually abusing me than he was about my physical health?'
Then there were Nassar's massages, which she said 'consisted of his bare hands running across my private areas' for his pleasure.
'You were never a real doctor.

You did not heal me. You only hurt me,' said Hutchins.
When she was finished she took the box of gifts and letters and dumped them in a trash bin located by the podium. 

 Bayle Pickle
Victim Bayle Pickle speaks at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar, a former team USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty in November 2017 to sexual assault charges
'You better sit up straight, listen to what I have to say and act like you have some remorse for your actions,' Bayle Pickel told Nassar before detailing the assaults he subject her to, and the abuse she allegedly endured at the hands of his closest friend John Geddert. 
Nassar would sneak her in back doors at MSU for treatment, telling her it was because of her insurance not being accepted for the procedures.
She now believes it was to avoid detection.
Geddert was not much better she claims in court, once screaming: 'Stop being a f***ing baby.' 
That was after she had tore her Achilles.

 

Emma Ann Miller 
Victim Emma Ann Miller (centre) speaks alongside her mother Leslie Miller (right) at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar, (left) a former team USA gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty
Fifteen-year-old Miller, Nassar's final victim, speaks from the stand and tells her abuser: 'I am not afraid of you'
Emma Ann Miller, 15, speaks Monday, January 22, 2018, during the fifth day of victim impact statements against Larry Nassar
Emma Ann Miller was one of the many brave women to speak at the fifth day of Nassar's sentencing hearing on Monday, and said in her victim impact statement that her last visit with the defendant was in August 2016 - just days before he was terminated by Michigan State University.
'I'm possibly the last child [Nassar] will ever assault,' Miller told the courtroom with her mother by her side.
'MSU charged me for those appointments.'
Miller, who is just 15, went on to deliver some of the most powerful remarks of the past five days as she stood opposite the man who assaulted her for years.
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina looked at the young woman in awe after she was finished, and said: 'Your words are as strong as any gun, taser or billy club.'
Miller spoke about how excited she was to meet Nassar as a young girl, explaining that she grew up with a single mother and had no father figure.
'It's always just been my mom and I.

I needed a positive male role model in my life, and that's who Nassar was for me,' said Miller, with her mother by her side.
'I've known him since I was born, and now I wish I never met him.'
She went on to note: 'The word Nassar will permanently be associated with child sexual abuse.'
Miller, however, will not be defined by what her abuser did to her under the guise of medical treatment she said in her statement.
'I'm more than how he treated me.

I am not letting him take any more time away from me,' declared Miller.
'No more time at appointments, no more time being misled and no more time being manipulated.' 


Whitney Mergens 
'I believe they are just as much a victim as myself,' victim Whitney Mergens says of her parents and boyfriend, who stand at her side
Victim and former gymnast Whitney Mergens speaks at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar, as a picture of her as a gymnast is shown to the court
Whitney Mergens was abused twice at the age of 11, with Nassar winning her over when he presented her with a signed postcard from the female members of the 2008 Olympic team.
Mergens never revealed the abuse to her parents, however, until 2016, after the first reports began to emerge about Nassar.
It took her a week to build up the confidence and once she did things took a turn for the worse.
'It became real, the darkness took over my life,' said Mergens.
That is starting to change though, and Mergens revealed that sitting in court on Friday and hearing other women speak gave her the courage to share her statement.
When she was finished speaking, Judge Aqualina said: 'You are not damaged, you are never damaged, the defendant is the damaged one.' 


Krista Wakeman 
Krista Wakeman, right, comforts her mother Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, after Krista addressed Larry Nassar
Krista Wakeman spoke with her mother by her side, revealing the hurt and pain it caused when the women did not believe she was being abused by Nassar.
She decided on Monday to go public and as she stood at the podium her mother broke down sobbing, unable to control the tears as she listened to her daughter speak. 
'I've been conflicted for some time now about whether I should speak.

I was pregnant at the time, but now my daughter is 6 months old and I feel I have to do this for her,' said Wakeman.
'To teach her that this is not OK.'
 Wakeman then added: 'Nothing about this is OK.'  
Nicole Reeb 
Victim Nicole Reeb makes her victim impact statements in Lansing, Michigan, during the fourth day of sentencing for former sports doctor Larry Nassar
Nicole Reeb spoke about seeing Nassar weekly while she attended Michigan State University.
She said that it was until 2016, after years filled with mental breakdowns, anxiety, depression and heavy drinking, that she realized she had been sexually abused.
Reeb revealed that Nassar at one point showed her a medical text which he claimed offered up proof that he could only reach the muscles in her back through her vagina.
'I was a dancer, an athlete and determined to get better,' she said of her injury, which was treated while she attended Michigan State University.
She said she now holds the school accountable for her suffering, and asked why nothing had been done despite multiple reports over the years.
'I thought his odd noises and grunting were because he was working so hard to get the knots out of my muscles,' said Reeb.
'Now I shake with disgust, because I realize those were the sounds of his own sexual enjoyment.'
She said that as a mother and grade school teacher, it is unfathomable to her how Nassar could do these things.
'I'm so depressed.

There are days I cannot get off the couch. I have no trace of energy. I sleep a lot. And sometimes even though I'm tired, I have to take medication to fall asleep,' said Reeb.
'I've wondered if my family would have it easier if I just wasn't here.
I haven't wanted to die, but occasionally, I don't want to exist, either. When I feel myself sliding in that direction, I think about my children & remind myself that I need to exist for them.'
She then closed out her statement by saying: 'I have spent my entire adult life clawing my way through the aftermath of being sexually abused.

It seems just to me that Larry Nassar should spend the rest of his life locked away in a prison cell. Thank you, your honor.'
Judge Aquilina then told Reeb: 'You are not defined by this. You are defined as a strong mother.'
She went onto say: 'You will never be defined by what this predator has done.
You need to release yourself of that. I'm hoping your words have done that for you. I think this was the best medicine.' 


Christine Harrison 
MSU student and former gymnast Christine Harrison gives her victim impact statement, directly addressing Nassar
Christine Harrison was seeing Nassar for treatment when her abuse began at the age of 15.
'I know the truth.

Regardless if he remembers what he did to me or not, I remember. That's all that matters. You knew what you were doing was wrong. It wasn't until you got caught that you started to beg for forgiveness,' said Harrison. 
'My family always used the saying, 'The Lord helps those who help themselves.' But with you, you had the opportunity for years to seek help.
You knew what you were doing was wrong, but it wasn't until you got caught that you started to ask for forgiveness.' 
Harrison, who went on to attend MSU. said she had to confront her anxiety to speak in court, but wanted to look her abuser in the eye.

Kyle Stephens 
Former family friend to the Nassar family, and babysitter to Nassar's children Kyle Stephens, right, addresses Larry Nassar.

Behind Stephens is her mother, and Assistant Prosecutor Angela Povilaitis, center
The first day of sentencing last Tuesday began with an emotional and powerful impact statement from Kyle Stephens.
She revealed she was sexually abused by the disgraced gymnastics doctor from the age of six to 12.
Stephens told the court he would pleasure himself in front of her, insert his finger in her vagina and rub his erect penis on her body.
Throughout her entire statement she looked directly at Nassar, who covered his face and cried, and revealed that when she was 12 she told her parents about the abuse.
Nassar convinced her mother and father that she was lying, said Stephens, who revealed herself for the first time on Tuesday after being known only as 'Victim ZA' in court papers.
Stephens said that when her father learned the truth about what had happened he took his own life. 
'Little girls don't stay little forever,' said Stephens.
'They turn into strong women who return to destroy your world.'
Nassar hid his face behind his hands the entire time, never once looking at his victim.
'After my parents confronted you, they brought you back to my house to speak with me.

Sitting on my living room couch I listened to you tell me that no one should ever do that, and if they do, you should tell someone,' said Stephens.
'Well Larry, I'm here. Not to tell someone, but to tell everyone.'
She then listed all the abuses she endured at the hands of Nassar, who entered a guilty plea to charges stemming from his assault of Stephens back in November.
'You convinced my parents that I was a liar.

That you didn't strategically place lotion in the basement so you could beat your penis while I hid. But I still get sick at the smell of that lotion,' said Stephens.
'You convinced my parents that you didn't pull my feet into your lap, unzip your pants, and rub your erect penis against my bare skin. But I still flinch when my feet are near someone's lap.'
She then closed out by stating: 'You convinced my parents that you didn't stick your fingers up my adolescent vagina.

But I knew, when it came time to use my first tampon that my hymen wasn't intact.'
The courtroom was completely silent while Stephens held back her tears and continued to look directly at Nassar's obscured face.
'You used my body for six years for your own sexual gratification. That is unforgivable,' said Stephens.
'I've been coming for you a long time.

I've told counselors your name in hope that they would report you, I have reported you to Child Protective Services twice, I gave a testament to get your medical license revoked.' 




Kamerin Moore  
Former Twistars gymnast Kamerin Moore addresses Larry Nassar, who can be seen sitting, right
Kamerin Moore said that Nassar actually asked if he could videotape himself performing a procedure on her, a request she denied at the time.
The mother-to-be said that she was apprehensive about speaking out, but knew she had to confront the man who had assaulted her while she was a meber of the US junior national team.
'I didn't want this child I'm carrying to be in the same room with a child molester,' said Moore.
She then spoke of her late night appointments with Nassar, which no one blinked an eye at and began when she was just 10.
'You called me your guinea pig because you would always try out new techniques on me,' said Moore.
'I vividly remember the first time.

I remember you told me I had to wear either my leotard or shorts. I remember how absolutely mortified I was when you asked me if I started my period yet, because you could not do the treatment if I had a tampon in.'
Moore then said that she blamed herself most of all for the assaults.
'I'm mad at myself when I think about every time you put your fingers inside of me and I continued to trust you no matter how disgusted and embarrassed I was,' said the young woman.
She later told the court that Nassar's abuse got worse when she was 12, after the death of her father.
'You molested a little girl who had just lost her father,' said a devastated and disgusted Moore.
She then revealed that it was not just her who was a victim of Nassar, but her brother too.
Moore said that her brother, a former gymnast at the University of Michigan, was treated by Nassar after he suffered a shoulder injury.
'I had to watch him process his confusion - my own brother,' said Moore.
'He's now a gymnast at the University of Michigan. When he realized what a monster you were, I watched him frantically search the Internet trying to find some proof that the chi in his shoulder was related to his genitals.'
Moore then gave some more context to her story.
'Because when he had surgery on his shoulder you treated him.

In your basement. You pulled his pants slightly down to expose him, in front of one of your other female victims actually who was in that basement as well. And you put acupuncture needles next to his genitals,' explained Moore.
'I'm not sure how my brother's shoulder is connected to his balls, but I guess chi works in weird ways.'
Moore previously described the moment Nassar asked if he could tape her back in April of last year.
'To be very clear about what he was asking: he was asking as a 40-year-old man or however old he was, to videotape himself touching a 13-year-old girl's naked private parts,' she explained in a video.
'And if nothing else, if he was a well-respected doctor still and he was a good person and they hadn't found thousands of images and videos of child pornography on his devices, this would still be wrong.' 


Melody Posthuma-Vanderveen 
Melody Posthuma-Vanderveen speaks about Larry Nassar, while her husband Luke stands at her side
She said, according to the Lansing State Journal: 'I'm still suffering every day and will continue to do so' 
The victim, embraced by supporters, said: 'I ask each one of you and everyone this reaches that you will help cultivate environments where women don't have to live in fear.

I wholeheartedly believe that this begins with giving you a life sentence today'
Victim Melody Posthuma-Venderveen was sexually abused by the twisted former doctor during medical examinations. 
She said, according to the Lansing State Journal: 'I'm still suffering every day and will continue to do so.
'And I ask each one of you and everyone this reaches that you will help cultivate environments where women don't have to live in fear.

I wholeheartedly believe that this begins with giving you a life sentence today.'
Bailey Lorencen 
Former gymnast Bailey Lorencen confronts Larry Nassar during the fifth day of victim impact statements
The first victim to speak on Monday was Bailey Lorencen, who took aim at Nassar and his close friend John Geddert.
It was Geddert's Twistars gym where a number of the victims claimed their were assaulted by Nassar.
Lorencen revealed that she began seeing Nassar after she broke her neck in four places following a fall, which Geddert at the time assured her was just a muscle injury.
The sexual abuse began soon after and lasted until Nassar told the young woman she had to stop gymnastics or she might never walk again.
'While it was happening, you said it was a medical treatment,' Lorencen said, adding that many of the young girls she spoke with described receiving similar treatments from Nassar.
She said that she now has nightmares and is terrified that men are going to rape her while she sleeps, along with anxiety.
Lorencen also earned a rare objection from the defense when she called out Nassar's attorney for smiling and BlütenzauberEspenblätter laughing in court with him last week.
'I'm so confused by your career path and I do not respect you or your choices,' she said to Nassar's legal team.
The MSU alum also stated: 'I gladly say good-bye Lou Anna Simon, your time as president is over.'
When she was done speaking, those present gave her a standing ovation. 


Arianna Guerrero 
High school gymnast Arianna Guerrero shows a credential Larry Nassar gifted her during the third day of victim impact statements in Lansing, Michigan
High school gymnast Arianna Guerrero addressed 'I'm only 16.

I should not even know what a victim-impact statement is, or what the inside of a courtroom looks like, let alone writing my own and reading it to you now. 
'You seem to have a hard time looking at me now, but you didn't when I was half naked on your table.' 
Maddie and Kara Johnson 
Victims and former gymnasts Maddie (left) and Kara Johnson hold hands as they speak at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar, (right, foreground) a former team USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty in November 2017 to sexual assault charges
The sisters stand defiantly in the stand as they recall their torment at the hands of the doctor
Maddie and Kara Johnson spoke with their parents by their side, who had to give permission for their daughters to speak because both girls are minors.
Kara, who is 17, spoke about how she felt dirty after Nassar's treatments, revealing he used lubricant and a numbing cream while he molested her.
Her mother was in the room on one occasion, so Nassar strategically placed towels to obscure the woman's vision while he sexually assaulted her daughter.
The abuse stopped when Kara stopped seeing Nassar, but not the depression or suicidal thoughts or nightmares that she would raped in her sleep.
Her younger sister, who is just 15, comforted Kara at the podium while she spoke about her struggles.
'The first time I went to see Nassar, I was 12 years old.

Being the little gymnast I was, I was beyond excited to have Nassar as my doctor,' said Madeline at the beginning of her statement.
An injury to her back had left her in constant pain, and rather than go to the hospital Madeline got an appointment with Nassar.
He told her that he was going to push down on her pubic bone the first time he molested her Madeline said, obscuring the act from her mother by blocking her view with his body.
When Maddie's father went to the appointments, 'the procedure' was not done by Nassar.
She was 12 at the time, and one of the last girls to be molested by Nassar.
When she learned about his crimes, just a few months later, Maddie said that she tried to convince herself she was not a victim.
'Today, I am a 15-year-old girl, and throughout my years in high school I've struggled,' said Maddie.
'For the longest time, you deprived me of my happiness.' 


Lindsey Lemke 
Lindsey Lemke addresses Larry Nassar during the third day of victim impact statements regarding the former sports medicine doctor
Lindsey Lemke took the podium to address some of Nassar's enablers, delivering an impassioned indictment of the doctor's friends and employers.
The courtroom erupted in applause for the very first time as Lemke said: 'Larry, I hope you, [MSU president] Lou Anna Simon, [MSU gymnastics coach] Kathie Klages, [Twistars owner] John Geddert and all of USAG are scared.

Because you have pissed off the wrong army of women.' 
She was just as powerful in her statements outside the courtroom as well, confronting MSU President Lou Anna Simon on Wednesday.
Simon, when pressed about how she planned to help victims like Lemke in front of multiple news crews, pretended as if the young woman was not even present.

 

Jamie Dantzscher 
Olympic medalist Jamie Dantzscher makes her victim impact statements in Lansing, Michigan, She remembers Nassar's 'obnoxious' laugh
Olympian Jamie Dantzscher was the first to speak on Thursday, with the member of the 2000 team that went to Sydney looking right at her abuser.
'Dr.

Nassar is no doctor at all, I'll refer to him as Larry,' she said to start.
'I remember your obnoxious laugh and how you would slurp the drool off your lip,' recalled the Bronze-medalist at one point.
'I don't see you laughing now.'
She declined to detail her abuse however, and explained her reason.
'I'm not going to say everything you did to me because I know a sick bastard like you will enjoy hearing it,' said Dantzscher.
Dantzscher did describe the aftermath of the abuse though, saying: 'I struggled with anorexia, bulimia, and depression so severe that I was hospitalized for attempting suicide.'
Then, she let Nassar have it, saying: 'How f***ing dare you say "sorry" for all you've done.

We all see through your bulls*** now. You're a pathetic monster who's only sorry he got caught.' 


Taylor Livingston  
Victim Taylor Livingston is comforted by her mother after speaking at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar
Taylor Livingston was first assaulted when she was 13 with her terminally-ill dad in the room. 
Confused and unsure of what was happening to her, she didn't tell her father, but addressing her tormentor directly, she said: 'I find more peace that one day you are going to die.

And when you do your pain will not subside. 
'When you die, you're going to hell. But there will be a pit stop on the way, where you will have to face my dad, who now knows exactly what you have done.'
Amanda Smith 
Former gymnast and victim Amanda Smith speaks while accompanied by her husband at the hearing
Amanda Smith held back the tears as she addressed the pedophile who tormented her. 
She said: 'I may not be an Olympian or a Big Ten athlete.

But I have a voice. My voice will be the voice for the voiceless.'
Alexis Alvardo 
Alexis Alvarado confronts Larry Nassar during the fourth day of victim impact statements
Former gymnast Alexis Alvardo confronts the man who abused her in Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's courtroom.
She said: 'This is not Judge Aquilina's so-called "circus" that you called it.

This is your hell. And I hope you burn in it.'
Hannah Morrow 
Victim Hannah Morrow speaks of her torment at the hands of the disgraced former US doctor 
'Because of him, I cannot be touched,' said Hannah Morrow in court. 
That may soon  change though as she reclaims her power, with Morrow tweeting after she took on her abuser on Friday.
'Today, I stood up to the enemy that sexually abused me for four years.

Larry Nassar cannot break me. I am a survivor. Thank you to my family, true friends, and coaches for supporting me, and to @Aly_Raisman for being my hero. I stand by all the courageous survivors,' wrote Morrow. 
Raisman responded: 'Proud of you.
Glad we got to meet. I'm 100% behind you.'
Kaylee McDowell 
Kaylee McDowell confronts Larry Nassar while giving her victim impact statement in Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's courtroom
Kaylee McDowell was one of Nassar's victims and she made reference to the thousands of images of child pornography found at his home. 
'I wanted to be like you,' she said.

'A man of honor and passion. Am I on your GoPro? Because I was one of your closest little friends.'
Anya Gillengarten 
Anya Gillengarten is surrounded by her parents and boyfriend after giving her victim impact statement


Anya Gillengarten was treated by Nassar when she was 16, shortly after the gymnast was in a automobile accident.
She is now 33, and struggled with coming forward and speaking out on Friday because she is an employee at Michigan State University.
'My name is Anya.

I am not a number,' she said to start her statement.
She has never been to see a doctor she revealed since she was abused by Nassar at his office, despite suffering from a number of medical conditions.
'People keep telling me I need to smile, as apparently I always have a scowl on my face,' she said in court.
That scowl comes after years of depression and fear and suicidal thoughts - all the result of Nassar's abuse.
'Larry stole my childhood, my innocence, my virginity and my self worth,' said Gillengarten.'
'I hated myself.

I still do. I was in a spiral of depression.' 

Lyndsy Carr 
Victim and former Gymnast Lyndsy Carr (left) embraces her mother at a podium at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar
Lyndsy Carr was molested when she was as young as 11, and those in the gallery applauded when she gave her statement.  
She said Nassar was 'a wolf in sheep's clothing'.
Tiffany Thomas 
Tiffany Thomas-Lopez speaks during a news conference.

Thomas is one of many former patients of Nassar who have accused him of molestation
Tiffany Thomas-Lopez meanwhile minced no words with Nassar, with the former MSU softball player opening her statement by saying: 'I imagined hitting you if I ever got the chance to see you again.' 

She added: 'The army you chose in the late 90s to silence me to dismiss me and my attempt at speaking the truth will not prevail over the army you created when violating us.

We seek justice, we deserve justice, and we will have it.'
Rachael Denhollander 

From the left; Rachael Denhollander (left), Sterling Riethman, Kaylee Lorincz, Jeanette Antolin and Tiffany Thomas appear at a news conference
Former gymnast Rachael Denhollander alerted the newspapers to Nassar's abuse.
'I knew this was the time,' Denhollander said.

'One anonymous, quiet voice was not going to be enough. I was 100 percent confident there were other victims speaking up and being silenced.'
From there, the number of victims coming forward continued to grow.
Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber
Victim and Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman speaks at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar
Victim and former gymnast Jordyn Wieber walks to the podium to speak at the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar
On Friday, Olympians Aly Raisman (left) and Jordyn Wieber (right) made a surprise appearance in court, allowing their names to be used
Jordyn Wieber would be the first to speak on Friday, revealing publicly for the very first time that she too was sexually assaulted by Nassar.
'I'm a victim of Larry Nassar,' stated an emotional but incredibly composed Wieber at the start of her statement.
Raisman made her remarks later in the day and delivered what was without question the most powerful speech of the week.
'I am here to face you, Larry, so you can see I've regained my strength,' said Raisman.
'That I am no longer a victim.

I am a survivor.'
Raisman shed not a single tear and showed no sign of weakness as she spoke, looking right at Nassar the entire time.
'I didn't think I would be here today,' said Raisman, who had previously announced her statement would be read in court by a member of the district attorney's office.
'I was scared and nervous.
It wasn't until I listened to the other brave survivors that I realized I needed to be here.'
She did not detail her abuse, and said only that Nassar's grooming began when the two were in Australia, and that she was eventually manipulated into believing that the doctor's 'inappropriate touch would heal my pain.'
Raisman knows better now she said in her statement.
'You never healed me.

You took advantage of our passions and our dreams,' said Raisman.
'Imagine feeling like you have no power, and no voice. Well you know what Larry, I have my power and my voice,and I will use them.'
Raisman also used her time in court to speak on behalf of all the victims in the case.
'The tables have turned, Larry.
We are here. We have our voices, and we are not going anywhere, said Raisman.
'And now, Larry, it's your turn to listen to me.' 



Marta Stern 
Former gymnast Marta Stern speaks at the court room in Lansing, Michigan, to say, 'My silence ends today'
Marta Stern had planned to remain anonymous, but changed her mind at the last second on Monday to face Nassar while delivering her statement.
'You destroyed my ability to trust,' said Stern, who is eight months pregnant and 'paralyzed with fear' that she might not be able to protect her daughter.
She also said in her statement that her husband must make loud noises before entering a room so he does not scare her, and described leaving her body and becoming emotionally withdrawn when Nassar would abuse her at appointments.
'Your monstrous actions took away so much, from so many,' said Stern.
She then said that she could no longer hold on to her hatred she had for her abuser.
'Despite all of this, I must forgive you, I must for the sake of myself, my husband and my unborn child,' explained Stern.
She then made a point of thanking her husband for being 'her rock.'