Town's secret helped save captive in SomaliaBack in Alberta, a transformed Amanda Lindhout thanks all who worked to end her Somalia ordeal
Canadian Amanda Lindhout, who recently returned to Canada after 15 months in captivity in Somalia, released this photograph with a statement on Dec. 17, 2009.
SYLVAN LAKE, Alta.–For more than a year, the residents of Sylvan Lake kept their lips sealed and their wallets open to help bring Amanda Lindhout home to her family.
Fundraisers were held, but people learned of them only by word-of-mouth. Local businesses donated items for auctions that were always silent. Only a few knew how much was raised and no one asked questions about how much was needed.
Friends and family kept quiet about the efforts made to secure the release of the freelance journalist from Somali kidnappers for fear that those who held her would demand more.
"The web was our enemy," said one family friend who asked not to be publicly identified. "Everyone worried that something would get out on the Internet."
Lindhout, 28, who was held captive for a year and three months after being kidnapped Aug. 23, 2008, along with Australian freelance photographer Nigel Brennan while trying to document the plight of Somali refugees, made her first public statement Thursday since returning home to Alberta.
In a photo by a Christmas tree, Lindhout looks physically well, glamorous even, in sharp contrast to the burqa she wore in the pictures taken after her release.
"I can't begin to describe how wonderful it feels to be home in Canada, without doubt the best country in the world. The freedom, prosperity and peace we're so fortunate to enjoy, and often take for granted, truly holds new meaning for me," Lindhout said in a statement released to the media.
Lindhout's statement revealed some new information about her captivity and release.
Her mother, Lorinda Stewart, and Brennan's sister were the primary negotiators in securing their release, she said.
Lindhout thanked the Australian, Canadian and Somalian governments, AKE, the U.K.-company that helped facilitate her and Brennan's release and departure out of Somalia, the survival psychology adviser who helped her, and the staff at the hospital in Nairobi where she was treated.
Lindhout thanked Brennan for helping her through the ordeal.
"His strength of character in the midst of extreme hardship inspired me during the darkest days. Despite our separation, he always managed to find small ways to remind me that there are gentlemen in the world, even when I was surrounded by just the opposite."
Lindhout said the belief she would one day be reunited with her family gave her the strength to endure a difficult situation that often looked hopeless and her family never gave up, making personal sacrifices so she could live and return home.
The people of Calgary and central Alberta made her dream of freedom a reality, Lindhout said.
In Sylvan Lake, a town of 11,000 residents that becomes a major tourist destination in the summer, Lindhout's father is well-known, but has kept a low profile since her kidnapping.
After high school, Lindhout moved to Calgary where she worked at bars to fund her trips overseas. She hoped to jump-start a career in journalism by going to the world's danger spots, filing stories to the Red Deer Advocate.
"All any of us can say is, we're glad it's over," said Rob MacKenzie, owner of Chiefs bar on Sylvan Lake's main strip. "This one had a happy ending."
Lindhout's father, Jon, remortgaged his Sylvan Lake home, and local businesses in Calgary, Red Deer and Sylvan Lake helped take in donations ranging from $50 to tens of thousands of dollars.
One government source said the price for Lindhout's release once dropped down to $28,000 but before the Brennan and Lindhout families could get that amount to the kidnappers, the price suddenly soared again to $250,000.
"We did what we could. Everyone in the community just felt for her family and wanted to show their support," said Cynthia Leigh, owner of the Stone House Spa on one of Sylvan Lake's main streets.
Stewart, Lindhout's mother, came into the spa months ago, and Leigh said the staff wanted to show they were thinking of her, so gave her a day of relaxation for free.
"We're all so happy that she's back, safe and alive. The only thing that bothers us is in some ways the terrorists won. They got what they wanted," said Leigh. "But in the end, her freedom was worth it."
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