The first victim to give her statement was Kyle Stephens, a neighbor of Nassar and not a gymnast. He abused her starting at 5 or 6 to age 12. When she told her parents they didn't believe her. She grew up, living next to the Nassars. Her father told her repeatedly that she needed to apologize to Larry for lying about the abuse. As she got older she separated herself from her family, got a job and found counseling that used a sliding scale for payment. She was also forced to babysit for the Nassar children. She looked at this as a way to protect his children. As she was leaving for college, her dad stopped her and told her once again that she needed to go apologize to Larry for her lies. She once again refused, saying she wasn't lying. Her father only then realized what not only Nassar put her through, but what he had also put her through. Her father later became ill and committed suicide. Kyle is sure that what Nassar did to her, her family's refusal to believe her, was partially responsible for his suicide.
When a survivor's own family doesn't believe her, why would any one believe any of these girls?
Many of the survivors were young and had no idea what was happening to them. I know that when I was in 7th grade and my junior high swim coach touched me inappropriately, I had no idea what was going on. This was on the pool deck, in front of other swimmers, and no one understood what was happening. When my friend finished a race and her breast was out of her suit at the finish, the look the coach had on his face was something I will never forget. When he said something very inappropriate to me I had no idea what he meant. I was so naïve I asked my mom what the words meant. He touched an athlete and said inappropriate things to her, knowing full well her mother was an administrator in the district which employed him as a swim coach. Not only did I think my dad was going to kill him, but when my club swim coach found out, he also lost it. I was lucky - I didn't know what was happening so I asked. I was believed and supported. Other girls had told their parents in previous years and the parents did nothing. One mom told my mom, "Oh he did the same thing to D, but we told her to just stay away from him." How many other girls suffered because of this monster?
MSU, USAG, Geddert, the coach of the Twistars, and even the USOC need to pay. Kathie Klages, the now former coach of MSU gymnastics needs to join Nassar in prison. Not only did she cover up what was happening, but when Nassar was arrested, she made her gymnasts sign a "sympathy" card for Larry and told them not to talk about Nassar to anyone. Many of those gymnasts were victims of Nassar!