Author Elizabeth Smart remembered the night that changed her life forever.
On March 13, Smart, 35, took to her Instagram page and opened up about being rescued after she was abducted from her bedroom in 2002.
“Yesterday was my 20-year (sic) rescue anniversary. I was able to celebrate by relaxing at home and spending time with my little family. Thank you so much for all the kind messages I received, the many prayers I’ve been the recipient of over the years, and all the love I’ve been shown,” she wrote in the caption of a photo of her with her husband and children.
The Utah native added, “I’ll never be able to express my full gratitude enough.”
Smart proceeded to write that “it is fair to say” she “could have never imagined” her “life turning out the way it has.”
She continued, “20 years ago when I was kidnapped I didn’t know if I would survive, each day was a question right up until I was rescued. Once I was rescued it was a roller coaster (sic) of emotion and honestly felt like we were all stepping into the unknown.”
Despite how hard her situation was at the time, she expressed how thankful she was for being where she is now in her life.
“And now 20 years later looking back although it was difficult and often overwhelming I’m so grateful for my experiences and the path it has led (sic) me down, meeting my husband, having children, learning a whole new level of empathy and compassion, meeting the most amazing and dedicated individuals, and being able to devote my life to a cause that I feel so passionate about and feeling like I’m contributing to the betterment of humanity is more than I could ask for. Thank you again, and God bless us all,” she concluded.
Smart was 14 years old when she was kidnapped at knifepoint by her abductor, Brian David Mitchell, and his wife, Wanda Barzee.
Mitchell is currently spending life in prison and Barzee is serving 15 years to life, according to the “Today” show.
After she was abducted, Smart was taken to a campsite and endured weeks of torture.
She was held captive about nine months before she was discovered in Sandy, Utah, about 18 miles from her home.
In an interview with the “Today” show in 2013, she shared what has helped her heal from the harrowing experience.
“Healing takes a lot of different forms, and it’s different for everybody. There’s not a wrong way, there’s not a right way. And for me, I’ve had a lot of different therapies,” she said at the time.
