Triumph over Abuse

Kayla Harrison is the first American to even a gold medal in judo at the Olympics, but that isn't her only triumph.  While many praise Michael Phelps and his record setting number of medals or the blow-out wins by the Dream Team, Kayla has been recognized not only for her monumental achievement of bringing home the first gold for USA ever in the sport, but also for overcoming the trauma of sexual assault.

Kayla was only 13 years old when her coach at the time first sexually assaulted her.  She reported the abuse when she was 16 and thankfully, her perpetrator is now serving 10 years in prison.  But the sentencing of an attacker isn't like flipping a switch and making everything better.  She described in her journal feelings of depression and anguish.  She even considered quitting judo as many would have, not wanting to be reminded of the trauma.

But Kayla didn't quit.  She persevered,  getting a new coach and going on to win championships.  She described her outlook as “You get to the point where you decide that you don’t want to be a victim anymore and that you’re not going to live your life like that."  She has shown the world there is still life after the trauma and to those who haven't experienced sexual assault, she has shown them that survivors are not weak.  Many times victims have had to carry a stigma of being "damaged," but Kayla Harrison has shown that survivors can not only move on from the trauma, they can triumph.