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Original Air Date:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Guests:
Oprah welcomed Ingrid Betancourt, the former Senator of Colombia, to share her hostage story.
Show Summary:
Ingrid Betancourt was the Senator of Colombia, a wife and mother of 2, running for President when she was kidnapped at gunpoint by the terrorist FARC guerillas and taken hostage in the jungle. Six and a half years later in 2008 she was rescued by a surprise plan by the Colombian government and has since written a book to tell her story.
Ingrid Betancourt described what she had to endure from the moment she was taken hostage to the time she found out that the men in the helicopter were the Colombian military there to rescue them. Her time in captivity found her desperately missing her mother and children, forced to endure being treated like an animal, and battling the environment in the jungles of South America.
Special Highlights:
This episode featured the following highlights:
- Ingrid Betancourt explained that what she had to endure was like the "idea of hell where pain doesn't end."What kept her alive was the love of her mother and children, beginning to read th bible to find out what place God had in her life, and the defying those who wanted to steal her very humanity.
- Betancourt's daughter Melanie and mother Yolanda also joined her in the audience and expressed how hard it was to go four years between proof of life videos and questions whether she was alive or not.
- The other 14 hostages who were rescued at the same time have a very different image of Ingrid Betancourt and some have made their dislike known, but she shared that she understands that her defiance made the experience harder on them and that her behavior appeared arrogant and selfish, but that she loves them regardless.
What to Take Away from the Show:
The most important message to take away from this episode is Ingrid Betancourt's courage in the face of people who want to break you down to feel like you are undeserving -- both the terrorists who held her hostage and the fellow hostages who don't like the positive attention she has received. The lesson to take away for your own life is to be strong in the face of adversity, to hold tight to those who love you, and believe strongly in what is important to you because you may have to fight for it one day.
Products Featured in This Episode:
Ingrid Betancourt - 'Even Silence Has An End'
Even Silence Has an End: Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle was released in September 2010 from Penguin Press from former hostage and Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. After six and a half years in captivity, held hostage by FARC guerilla terrorists, Betancourt was rescued by the Colomian military and reunited with her family. She now describes the conditions she had to endure and how she was able to maintain her humanity while being treated like an animal.More »
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