A Special You Tube Thank You from Former Ohio Kidnap Victims Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus & Michelle Knight … Victims No More, They Are Getting Their Lives Back

THE FOLLOWING IS THE DEFINITION OF COURAGE.

The Ohio kidnap victims get their life back with love and support of family friends, loved ones … and you!

The three young women held captive in a Cleveland home for almost a decade break their silence and thank the public for their support in a public statement posted on YouTube. Kudos to the three young woman for taking their lives back and not allowing the animal who took so much for them to define them and ruin their lives forever.  Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were held captive by Ariel Castro in an unspeakable house of horror for a decade.

Smiling and appear upbeat, Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus speak separately in a three-minute, 30-second video released on YouTube.

“I may have been through hell and back, but I am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face and my head held high,” Knight says, reading from a statement. “I will not let the situation define who I am. I will define the situation. I don’t want to be consumed by hatred.”

Knight says she is building a “brand new life.”

THANK YOU FROM AMANDA BERRY, GINA DEJESUS & MICHELLE KNIGHT

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

They say they appreciate the community’s financial help and prayers. DeJesus’ mother, Nancy Ruiz, is quick to thank the Cleveland Courage Fund. The fund is a bank account set up to receive donations to help the three women make the transition from 10 years of captivity to independence. It has received $1.05 million from 9,200 donors, and some of the money has flowed to the women and their families already.

In the video, an off-camera voice asks DeJesus what she would say to people who have contributed to the fund and have helped her and her family. “I would say thank you for the support.”

Berry calls the support unbelievable.

“Everyone who has been there to support us has been a blessing,” she says. She adds that she is getting stronger each day but continues to seek privacy.

Let’s hope these three young ladies are back on their way to getting some semblance of normalcy in their lives and are allowed to.