TRUE CRIMEElizabeth Smart Celebrates 21st Anniversary of Kidnapping Rescue: 'Never Ever Give Up'
Elizabeth Smart reflected on miracles and one of the most terrifying periods of her life on the 21st anniversary of her rescue from her kidnapper.
Smart was taken from her Salt Lake City, Ut., home when she was only 14-year-old and held captive for months. She wasn't saved until nearly one year later.
Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped when she was 14 years old.
"Today is March 12th and it will always be a reminder that miracles happen and that there are dreams that come true and that good things are abundant in this world," the 36-year-old activist explained in a TikTok shared earlier this week.
"For those of you who don’t know me, my name’s Elizabeth Smart and back in 2002 I was kidnapped and I was held hostage for nine months but I was rescued on March 12th of 2003," she shared. "So today is 21 years since I was rescued."
Smart revealed she believes 'dreams come true' due to her experiences.
"I know anniversaries mean a lot of different things for different people and I respect whatever it means to everyone individually but for me, it really is a reminder that life is good and that dreams really do come true and that we should never ever give up," she continued, advising her viewers to "savor the happiness and savor the joy in life."
"No matter where you are at, I hope you find happiness," she concluded.
Smart is a child safety activist.
Smart isn't only being candid about her life experiences to her followers on TikTok. As OK! previously reported, she also revealed that it's important for her not to hide her tragic past from her children.
In a 2021 interview, Smart said that her then 5-year-old daughter had "begun to sort of ask questions" due to overhearing bits and pieces about her life on Zoom calls.
Smart has three children.
"I certainly never want to hide what happened in the past, because every single of us has a past," she said at the time. "Every single one of us has had something happen in our lives."
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"It’s unrealistic to think that we will all just have a perfect life," she noted. "We will all face hardships and struggles, in whatever form that may be, and so I have begun to speak to her as she asked questions. But with that being said, it’s not all at once. And it’s age-appropriate, to the best of my ability."
