Good Lifestyle

As a veteran, my husband is fascinated by television programs and films representing military missions, in particular those of elite teams such as Navy Seals or Green Berets. You can usually find them in streaming on our screens every night after the children went to bed. While many are based on true stories, they seem far from the reality of my quiet suburban life in New York State. And if you think that hackers only exist in children's books and Disney films, think again.

Let's just say that I have personally met anyone who was a member of these special or even interaci forces with them. The closest I had had just consulted with the army design team on a new tactical bra for soldiers. It is until I see the story of Jessica Buchanan on my local news.

After a two -minute package has briefly detailed the removal of the humanitarian worker and the subsequent rescue by Seal Team Six, I had to know more and I contacted to plan an interview. In 2011, Buchanan, based in Washington, D.C., was kidnapped under the threat of a firearm and held for Ransom for 93 days when she was hungry, terrorized and abused by a band of Somali pirates. She shared her heartbreaking history in 2014 New York Times successful book Impossible dimensions .

To find out more about Buchanan directly, keep reading to learn his story and how it has changed his life forever.

In relation: I spent homeless people to win 6 digits as a winding model .

THE Motivator author and lecturer was in Somalia, working as an education advisor for an international humanitarian organization, aware of the way of avoiding terrestrial mines. Knowing the dangers, she has traveled in a "less secure" part of the country for training. She even said to her husband and her fellow humanitarian worker, Erik, before leaving that she hoped that she would not be kidnapped.

Erik was nervous for her. For any reason, this particular assignment left it uncomfortable. Even if she was a pretty Midwest blonde, it had nothing to do with her appearance. Her simply being there made her a target.

Buchanan's fears were justified. There was 358 attacks By Somali pirates in waters off Somalia between 2010 and 2015 only. While she was traveling on earth and not in water, terrorists still constituted a major threat.

Soon, his worst nightmare materialized - and Buchanan found his convoy surrounded by armed kidnappers. The person they trust to transport them in their next location worked with the terrorists.

"I was surrounded by 30 men armed with machine guns and AK-47s are pointed out to me. I did not know if I would be shot, raped, sold or released at any time," says Buchanan. "They shouted on my face, point their weapons on my head and threatened to sell me to Islamic extremists. It was the most frightening and longest period of terror in my life."

Buchanan shares that, no matter what happened from this moment, because she was dragged out of the captivity vehicle, she knew that her life would be changed forever. "What was going through my head? That everything from that moment will never be the same again." AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

The next few days were like something in the intrigue of a major film. Only Buchanan has never registered to be the star.

"We did not know who had us or what they wanted with us or what they were going to do with us," she said Better life . "We were constantly mistreated and terrorized. It was a question of trying to stay alive."

Buchanan says she taught training only if you managed to stay alive for the first 48 hours, you had a good chance of survival. "I kept my head down and I did what they told me. The first night was the most terrifying because they walked in the desert to what I thought was my execution. ""

It turns out that the walking orders were to be able to sleep. At that time, without the knowledge of Buchanan, his kidnappers had no intention of killing it because they asked for $ 45 million in ransom.

While the long days and terrifying nights in hostage dragged for more than three months (it was there that she spent Christmas), miraculously, Buchanan says that she has never lost the faith that she would make herself alive - Even as a painful set of urinary tract infection and has made his kidneys begin to close.

"I knew that if I allowed myself to feel despair, it was a hole that I could never go out," she shares. "I just focused on returning home with my husband. Losing hope was simply not an option for me."

While she was in what can only be described as a slow death, Erik was seated at home in his own version of hell, never knowing when - or if - his wife would return home.

For more inspiring stories delivered directly to your reception box, Register for our daily newsletter .

This day would finally come. "It was like a scene from a film," said Buchanan. "There was a huge amount of shots because the nine men keeping me were killed. I heard an American voice say my name and identifying myself as a military. I was in shock."

The Elite Special Forces Unit Seal Team Six (better known to have killed Ousama bin Laden ) were the 24 men sent there at the time President Barack Obama To save her unforgettable day.

While Buchanan naturally suffers from anxiety and sspt, more than a decade later, she uses her experiences to inspire others as a speaker .

"I think I had a second chance in life and that I do my best to use the gifts and the opportunities that have been given to me to pay it," she explains. "I get up every morning hoping that I will make a difference somewhere."

Jessica, now a mother, has been named one of the "150 women who will shake the world" by Nowsweek And its history was one of the most visible 60 minutes episodes to date. She appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno And founded a publishing company where other women can share their stories to help and inspire others. She also actively supports The Navy Seal Foundation And American hostage

"I do not regret going there or the significant work I was doing," she tells us. "The lessons I have learned and the person I have become would not have occurred without it."