My first Thought was that She was Very Brave

Tormented by horrific memories of being sexually abused years before by a middle school gym teacher, Kristen Cunnane thought about killing herself --
[...]

Deputy Berch Parker, then a detective assigned to the Lafayette Police Department, was the lead investigator in the Kristen Cunanne case.

"What was your first thought when you heard Kristen's story?" Smith asked Det. Parker.

"I think my first thought was that she was very brave," he replied.
[...]
For years now, Kristen has been unable to visit the house where she grew up.

"There's millions of good memories of growing up there, but the hundreds of bad memories of what she did to me there, just is like overwhelming," she said.

Through all the pain and upheaval, Kristen has always had swimming -- the sport she loves -- to fall back on.

She also has the support of her "little army" as she likes to call them -- the women of Cal Berkeley's swim team where she's the associate coach.

"I get to coach swimmers transitioning from adolescents and to being college adult athletes and it's a wonderful job and it's gotten me through some really hard times," said Kristen.
[...]
Swimming is different than any other sport. There is a sense of peace that I never experienced anywhere else.

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