Religion has been a huge part of my life.

My parents have raised me to believe in a kind and a loving God and someone who cares about me, who is always there for me, and who would never wish harm or illness or any kind of tragedy upon me.

You are always special. Nothing can change that.

I can say I have forgiven my captors. That being said, I never want to see them again. I'm not OK with they did to me.

That was very comforting to me to hold onto that belief, that I did have a heavenly Father who was watching over me.

I don't feel famous personally, and I feel like when most people get to know me, they're like, 'Oh, she's just the same as everybody else.'

Privacy is so sacred, and any time a victim is returned, a survivor is found and rescued, privacy is one of the greatest gifts we can give them because if they decide to share, that's up to them, and they will come forward.

I'm grateful for rain because, when I was kidnapped, that meant that I had something to drink.

It is wrong for any person to ever judge someone in any situation saying, 'Well, why didn't you try to run? Why didn't you scream? Why didn't you try to do something?' That is so wrong and, frankly, offensive to even ask that question.

Even when I get on airplanes, very often, as I walk down the aisle, I notice a lot of people staring or whispering. I recognize the fact that yes, to a lot of people, I will always be that 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped and who was held captive.