Ryan Lochte is opening up about the mental impact of his near-death car accident last year.
Lochte, 40, penned a powerful message on social media detailing his rise out of the “depression” that set in after the Nov. 21, 2023 accident that left the Olympian with multiple injuries — including a broken femur and visible abrasions on his forehead.
“One year ago, my life changed forever,” Lochte, a father of three, began in his caption on Instagram, which accompanies a video of his family enjoying a pool day.
“A car accident nearly took everything from me — and for a long time, it felt like it had,” Lochte continued. “I struggled to find myself again, sinking back into depression and doubting my worth as a father, a husband, and the person I knew I could be. But I didn’t face this journey alone.”
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The six-time gold medalist said it was the support from his family and friends that helped him get through the mental anguish.
“Thanks to the love and support of the incredible people in my life, I began to rise from that darkness. They reminded me of my strength when I couldn’t see it myself,” said Lochte, who told PEOPLE in September that he “could have died” from the accident.
“Today, I’m proud to say I’m not just surviving — I’m fighting,” Lochte continued in his Instagram post. “Fighting for my family, for my dreams, and for the life I know I’m meant to live. This year has taught me that setbacks don’t define us — our comebacks do.”
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Concluding his message, Lochte wrote, “Here’s to growth, resilience, and the power of love and community. Thank you to everyone who stood by me. 🙏💪 #Resilience #Grateful #OneYearStronger #FighterInLife.”
Lochte was driving to pick up his kids from school in Gainesville, Fla., on Nov. 21 when the vehicle in front of him unexpectedly pulled out of their lane to avoid a stopped trash truck.
The swimmer and his wife Kayla share son Caiden, 7, daughter Liv, 5, and 1-year-old daughter Georgia.
During his September interview with PEOPLE, the athlete said working with a therapist helped him find a “light at the end of the tunnel.”
Lochte said his therapist got through to him by putting “everything in perspective into swimming terms.”
“You got to think every time you wake up, you’re in the pool and what do you do when you swim? You attack it,” Lochte explained. “You just keep moving forward and things like that. So I started thinking like that and I’m like, ‘Man, this is kind of making sense.’ “
