Now or Never

By the time I was 14, I was one of the youngest Olympians in decades. I was swimming alongside my heroes, breaking records, and on a path of stardom. Swimming was my life, my identity, all I knew...

It's the stuff of dreams, but dreams aren't always enough. Sometimes things happen and you lose control. You lose sight of what's real. Sometimes you don't have anyone to trust, and you make the wrong decisions.

I lost everything but I did it to myself. Over the years, I've found closure and some semblance of a life in Pennsylvania, teaching tomorrow's youth how to swim and learn to love it. It's a quiet, peaceful existence and I'm just like everyone else.

But I should have known better, that the past and who I was, would come back to haunt me. However, I'm not afraid anymore. I've accepted my mistakes, learned from them, tried to grow and be a better person.

I just hope it's enough.