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"The three women that former school bus driver Ariel Castro, 52, held captive over the course of a decade spoke out for the first time since their rescue in May. On Tuesday, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight posted a 3 minute 33 second video, recorded on July 2, on YouTube, thanking the public for their emotional support and financial contributions. Each woman appeared separately; DeJesus&amp;#039;s parents also spoke in the video. Amanda Berry, who was 16 years old when Ariel Castro kidnapped her in Cleveland, opened the film. In a calm, composed manner, Berry said she is happy to be home with her family and friends. &amp;quot;I want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal,&amp;quot; she said, also stating she is thankful for everyone&amp;#039;s love and kindness. &amp;quot;I am getting stronger each day and having my privacy has helped immensely.&amp;quot; She concluded her 30-second speech by asking for the public to continue respecting her privacy so she can have a &amp;quot;normal life.&amp;quot; Gina DeJesus, who was 14 years old at the time of her kidnapping, also thanked everyone for their support. DeJesus&amp;#039;s parents, Nancy Ruiz and Felix DeJesus, expressed their gratitude, too. Ruiz advised parents with missing children to count on their neighbors. &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t be afraid to ask for the help because help is available.&amp;quot; Michelle Knight concluded the video, sharing that her faith in God helped her through the traumatic experience. &amp;quot;I may have been through hell and back, but I am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face and with my head held high and my feet firmly on the ground,&amp;quot; she said. &amp;quot;Walking hand-in-hand with my best friend, I will not let the situation define who I am. I will define the situation.&amp;quot; What do you think of the women&amp;#039;s thank you message? Share your thoughts in the comments below. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/news/a47707/cleveland-kidnapping-victims-speak-out-to-say-thank-you/?src=syn&dom=yah_buzz&mag=wdy&ha=1&kw=ist>