Taylor Coulter, a player of soccer Scottish, told the BBC an event that changed his life.
The athlete, 18 years old, was in Spain on vacation with friends, when it was drugged and lost consciousness.
The event interrupted his career and seriously affected his healthto the point that he is still trying to recover.
«I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my arm»: this is how Taylor Coulter was attacked
Taylor Coulter is a teenager born in Port Glasgow, Scotland. It is known for its football qualities and, in fact, is part of the Scottish School Football Team.
Recently graduated from high school, along with 16 friends, went on vacation to Magaluf, Mallorcain what was his first trip abroad without his parents.
«My parents weren’t going to let me go on vacation at first. I begged them to let me, since it was the last few weeks I had to spend time with my friends before moving (to study),» she told BBC.
During his first days on the Spanish island, the local bowling alleys and clubs gave him a feeling of security, he recalled.
However, the June 21, Coulter and her friends decided to go to the famous Bananas nightclub in Magaluf, and there they experienced an unexpected event.
At one point during the night, on the steps of the bowling alley, a stranger collided with the player. What happened next was detailed by herself:
«I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my arm. He apologized a lot, more than necessary. Then I felt a liquid run through my entire body,» story.
Coulter had only 20 seconds to call for help before he was incapacitated by drugs that the man had injected into him with a needle. «It started to have an effect on me right away,» he recalled to the British media.
But she was lucky, since her friends were nearby. One of them helped her go to the bathroom, where she vomited, and then they took her back to the hotel where they were staying.
The drug erased much of Taylor’s memory of what happened after the attack, but her friends have helped her fill in details she didn’t remember.
«My friends were talking on the phone with my parents, and with their parents, who were looking for the best advice, which was a shock shower with cold water,» she said.
For Taylor, who was sober the night of the attack, much of that evening remains a blur, but she is grateful her friends what They helped her stay safe.
«I think that’s the true meaning of friendship. If they hadn’t been there, «It terrifies me to think what could have happened,» held.
From the hotel, the player was taken to a hospital. There, blood tests revealed that He had been injected with gamma-hydroxybutyrate, better known as GHB, and also an antidepressant drug.
GHB is a powerful sedative that causes extreme drowsiness and loss of inhibitions, and erases the memory of what happened under its influence.
Although this drug was eliminated from the teenager’s body, doctors were concerned about the possibility of blood infections resulting from the needle. Beyond these problems, the truth is that the attack left scars that still last.
Loss of mobility, nightmares and intrusive memories: the consequences that adolescents endure
Almost a month after the terrible experience in Magaluf, Coulter still receives treatment. This is so strong that it makes it difficult for her to walk long distances and, of course, prevents her from training with her current team, Greenock Morton Women FC.
In addition, the teenager is taking antiviral medications to protect against HIV and/or hepatitis, drugs that also take their toll.
«It’s had a huge impact on things that came easily to me before, like running and biking. I get really tired when I try to do any type of exercise,» Taylor said.
The side effects are a double blow for the athlete, who plans to move to the United States next month to enjoy a soccer scholarship she obtained at Louisiana State University.
He still hopes to regain full fitness, but says the incident has shaken his confidence. «It has affected me a lot, because I was preparing for the preseason in the United States and now I can barely walk«, he summarized.
As if that were not enough, he also suffers from nightmares and «intrusive memories» that affect his sleep.
She decided to share her story as a warning to other people going on group vacations. His advice is: ««Stay with your friends, don’t go anywhere alone.»
The experience has left her shaken, constantly «on edge» and «looking around suspiciously», but her passion for football remains as strong as before.
She dreams of one day playing for Scotland in the Women’s World Cup and, despite the setback, is looking forward to her scholarship in the United States. «That has been my dream since I was 11 years old: to become a professional and be an inspiration for other people, like the younger players,» he concluded before the BBC.
