Gina DeJesus and Cleveland kidnap victims post thank-you video

NBCLatinoBy Alessandra Hickson, NBCLatino

Three Cleveland women who escaped in May after about a decade of captivity appeared in a video posted to YouTube thanking people for their help and requesting continued privacy. Each of the three — Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight – makes a statement in the video, posted for them by a Cleveland PR firm.

“First and foremost, I want everyone to know how happy I am to be home with my family and my friends,” Berry says. “It’s been unbelievable. I want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal. Everyone who has been there to support us — it’s been a blessing to have such an outpouring of love and kindness.”

Gina DeJesus thanked those who contributed to the Cleveland Courage Fund, which was set up to help the three transition from capitivity to independence. “Thank you for your support,” she says before her father, Felix DeJesus, echoes her statement. DeJesus’ mother, Nancy Ruiz, told parents who have a loved one missing to “count on your neighbors” and not to fear asking for help because “help is available.”

This article was first published in NBCLatino.

Alessandra Hickson is a multimedia journalist from Philadelphia, PA now based in New York, NY with a passion for lifestyle, politics and film. Alessandra began her career in journalism while pursuing her MA in Magazine Writing from New York University. She researched and blogged for Glamour, ELLE.com and Seventeen. Alessandra’s interest in digital journalism led her to blogging about Afro-Latino culture and music for the site losafrolatinos.com and Being Latino. She is now a News Associate at NBC News. Her work has appeared on NBC Latino, NBC News.com, The Daily Nightly and NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

[Screenshot from YouTube video]

 

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