Support for Michelle Knight

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I started reading Michelle's book today and couldn't put it down. I finished it this evening. This woman has made it through so much. Even before Castro abducted her, she had been neglected and abused by her family, including sexually abused by a male family member.

She has come out of all this abuse and having her life stolen from her as such a loving, strong woman - a butterfly for sure. Fly free, Michelle! You're an inspiration!
 
I meant to post yesterday and it went clean out of my head - Michelle Knight was due to give a long radio interview today on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. I managed to be out because I'd forgotten, and just caught the last few minutes. :(

From the comments coming in after, it sounded like it was amazing. Just hearing at the end, Michelle trying to explain about Castro - how he just wanted a family because his own had rejected him and how she understood that; and understands why some people aren't strong enough to overcome what 'they've been taught' as children......

I will try and see if it's going to be repeated, or made available online. Michelle also said she plans to open a multi-cultural restaurant. And hopes to find a trainer to take up boxing properly. When the interviewer queried her tinyness, Michelle told a story about nearly knockingout a 7ft tall fellow boxer!
 
The Woman's Hour presenter has interviewed many hugely heroic women over the years, but I don't think I've ever heard her so impressed by an interviewee before.
 
In the interview, Michelle never refers to Castro by name: 'Because he took away my identity, he took away my name'. Instead, he called her foul names. So she in return, just calls him 'the dude'.

In the end though, it seems she got to choose her own 'captive' name; Ju Ju, after the beads.
 
When he first trapped her in the bedroom, he told her 'he was just gonna hold me for a little while, as a friend'.

He then proceeded to tie her up from two walls, and suspend her in the air: 'He hung me up, I was off the floor.'

When Michelle begged him to let her go 'because my son needed me right now', the dude replied:

'Why should I, when my family never did any of that for me?'

She said he often took out on her, what people had done to him in the outside world. His explanation was, 'I have no-one else to take it out on.'
 
When asked how she coped with being raped, day after day, Michelle replied that;

'It was hard....but going through what I went through with my family helped me cope a little more. I could adapt better.'

Michelle wasn't shocked or destroyed when the dude told her no-one was looking for her, because she already knew no-one would. She was more shocked at her own appearance, when finally allowed to have a shower in a filthy, mould covered bathroom.

'I looked disgusting...like a battered woman. With a bruise on every part of my face and body..'

Later, he forced her to spend 6 months in winter, naked, without even a blanket.

I can't imagine surviving that, Cleveland winters are even colder than German ones, I think?
 
Michelle credits her survival to 'thinking 100 per cent about my son'. Although thinking about the babies she lost through the miscarriages the dude savagely caused, was a source of grief 'I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do'.

When Amanda and Gina arrived, she became the most hated girl in the house, she says. The dude would regularly say to her: 'If I kill you right now, nobody will give a damn - nobody even knows you're here.'

Michelle was fed starvation rations - maybe a strip of chicken and a little rice every couple of days, and sometimes less. The other women were fed subways and McDonalds. Michelle says she used to sit there and cry 'because they got more to eat than me'.

But the others would comfort her and tell her it would get better one day, when the dude had hit her, after he had gone.
 
On helping save the life of Amanda's newborn:

'When I breathed life into that little girl it was amazing. I was proud of myself.'

Michelle goes on to explain that she is proud she hasn't ever had the need to do to people, what people did to her, has never felt the need to hurt people.
 
When asked how she felt on the day she was rescued, Michelle says:

'Oh my God, it was terrifying! Because at first I thought we were being broken into....I ran straight into her (policewoman's) arms and said "Don't put me down, don't put me down!"...I wanted to kiss the ground and thank God for every day he kept me alive.'
 
Michelle says therapy never really worked for her, and in the end she decided to returning to the pleasures of her past was a better path for her; singing, dancing, drawing, boxing and writing in her journal every day.

She says testifying was 'a healing process' for her. 'I wanted to let him know he didn't define me'.

Michelle is very, very concerned about missing people and urges everyone to remember: 'There are still missing people out there who need to be found. Even if we don't know their names.'
 
I don't know how such dreadful childhood and then adult experiences has resulted in such a lovely, courageous person......but isn't the world lucky to have Michelle Knight still here?

I can't even say how much I wish for unbroken peace of mind and happiness for her, forever more.
 
zwiebel said:
I meant to post yesterday and it went clean out of my head - Michelle Knight was due to give a long radio interview today on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. I managed to be out because I'd forgotten, and just caught the last few minutes. :(

From the comments coming in after, it sounded like it was amazing. Just hearing at the end, Michelle trying to explain about Castro - how he just wanted a family because his own had rejected him and how she understood that; and understands why some people aren't strong enough to overcome what 'they've been taught' as children......

I will try and see if it's going to be repeated, or made available online. Michelle also said she plans to open a multi-cultural restaurant. And hopes to find a trainer to take up boxing properly. When the interviewer queried her tinyness, Michelle told a story about nearly knockingout a 7ft tall fellow boxer!
Click to expand...

Here you go (full interview): Michelle Knight - BBC Radio's "Woman's Hour" 5/16/14

In case you missed any other interviews: http://www.clevelandkidnappings.com/apps/videos/channels/show/4083293-michelle-knight
 
zwiebel said:
Michelle's interview is available online now. I am just about to listen to it. The recording starts with unrelated news items, Woman's Hour follows straight after.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0436h12
Click to expand...

Zwiebel and CKIA thank you for posting all the information about Michelle's interviews. I have been so busy I haven't had a chance to read or listen to anything so I appreciate your information.

What an amazing woman. OMG how she stays so positive is a lesson for all of us.
 
jjenny said:
This has to be so difficult on both sides. For adoptive family and for Michelle.
Click to expand...

I don't know this boy so I can't say what would be best for him. It just seems like he would feel better knowing his mother loved him. That she had no choice in giving him up. I guess at the age of 14, it may cause other problems but I hope when he is old enough, he will get to meet his mother. She has to be thankful he is in a loving home and not with her family.
 
Since this is a support topic I just want to say: Michelle you're my hero. You're so strong it's completely unbelievable, you're whole life story touched me deeply and I'm just so happy you're free to live a good life now. Much love to you!
 
I hope with the income from this, Michelle will finally be able to move on with her life. I do wonder though how different will Amanda's and Gina's book be than Michelle's version. I suspect we will see major differences, and this is due to the Michelle being outcast from the other two. In the end I do wish her the all the best with her life, and hope she is finally moving forward.
 
I hope one day that Michelle will reunite with her son, one day when he is old enough to understand what happened to her (but can anyone really understand why that had to happen :( ) I watched her on the Dr.Phil show, she showed incredible strength and courage....I wish her a nice quiet and peaceful life and through the help of the professionals she can come to terms with her ordeal. God bless her x
 
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