With the second anniversary of the heroic escape by three women
held captive in Cleveland--the recent publishing of a memoir by two of
the women, and Mother's Day just days away-- I felt it fitting to
celebrate their stunning story of bravery against all odds.
You know the names: Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. You know their story: kidnapped, held captive, emotionally battered and sexually tortured by Ariel Castro for a decade, until they escaped along with Berry's daughter on May 6th, 2013. But beyond what these women suffered, a real mark of their amazing strength and spirit is how they were able to raise Amanda Berry's daughter Jocelyn, (fathered by Castro) now eight years old, and give her as much of a normal life as possible, despite what they endured. It's true that Jocelyn's birth gave Berry strength, and the women formed a bond, a family of their own to protect Jocelyn. But the courage they showed in the face of such adversity is beyond remarkable.
It is my hope that this story will serve as a reminder to mothers and fathers everywhere about the importance of parenthood -- so that so-called normal families who will never face the traumas Amanda, Gina, Michelle and little Jocelyn faced-- will be sure to love and protect their kids at all cost.
The Memoir of Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus is entitled:
Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland
Michelle Knight's Memoir is entitled:
Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings
You know the names: Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. You know their story: kidnapped, held captive, emotionally battered and sexually tortured by Ariel Castro for a decade, until they escaped along with Berry's daughter on May 6th, 2013. But beyond what these women suffered, a real mark of their amazing strength and spirit is how they were able to raise Amanda Berry's daughter Jocelyn, (fathered by Castro) now eight years old, and give her as much of a normal life as possible, despite what they endured. It's true that Jocelyn's birth gave Berry strength, and the women formed a bond, a family of their own to protect Jocelyn. But the courage they showed in the face of such adversity is beyond remarkable.
It is my hope that this story will serve as a reminder to mothers and fathers everywhere about the importance of parenthood -- so that so-called normal families who will never face the traumas Amanda, Gina, Michelle and little Jocelyn faced-- will be sure to love and protect their kids at all cost.
The Memoir of Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus is entitled:
Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland
Michelle Knight's Memoir is entitled:
Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings
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