Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Jaycee Lee Dugard: A Trauma That Sparked Hope

One can hardly envisage Jaycee Lee Dugard’s dark somber past looking at her bright, unruffled face, and tranquil emotions. Appearing in an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Jaycee exhibited incredible verve and optimism. Her insinuations for future appeared as clear and pleasant as a sunshiny sky. Sitting calmly with an immutable balance while talking about her past wounds, Jaycee not only looked magnificent, but also majestic. For someone whose life was wildly tangled as a child, Jaycee’s grandeur as an adult was indeed moving and inspirational. Her story dates back to 1991 when Jaycee’s life took an unexpected detour while she was just 11. Jaycee was kidnapped by a pedophile from a school bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe, California, and held captive for 18 long years.

As a child ensnared in a dungeon at her abuser’s backyard, Jaycee was subject to grave and unending sexual assault. Jaycee’s abuser, an ex-convict and a man in his late fifties was a sexual deviant and a chronic drug abuser. He mortified Jaycee with social isolation, and continual threats that ultimately led to a rebuttal of her true identity while she was under house arrest. In her predator’s sexual captivity, Jaycee at 13 and 15 was forced to bear two daughters with him. As a helpless child who was unknowingly nestled into motherhood, Jaycee saw a new meaning in her lost life with the birth of her two daughters. She says that her daughters brought her companionship during her imprisonment years with her captor. But in the midst of her solitude, and physical and mental cruciation, Jaycee never ceased to hope. While jailed to a circumstantial silence, Jaycee constantly dreamt of a reunion with her beloved mother though she was coached to forget her past and feel secure in her captor’s den than in the open air. In the lock and key of her abuser, Jaycee lived a chilling life until she was miraculously set free by an investigation sparked by the campus security of UC, Berkley.

Submerged into darkness like the unsinkable titanic, Jaycee narrated the deepest fears of her captive years on public television. She, however, seemed unfettered by her past and portrayed a persona of a cheerful, confident young woman who today is inspirited to resurrect her stolen years. It seemed that for Diane Sawyer interviewing Jaycee and listening to the unspeakable was nothing less than a phenomenon. One could see a stupendous Diane bedazzled with Jaycee’s strength and intentions of evolving out of trauma. For millions of onlookers Jaycee stood as an example of a lost child who had ultimately found her way home from a deadly maze. As a victim once, but a survivor today Jaycee certainly is a miracle of life. Her past represents a picture of woe that ultimately was destined to culminate in peace and joy. Most of all, her daunting account, her endurance, and the ability to embrace her past as it is and move beyond it indeed is a vestige of hope. Jaycee’s life is a journey of faith and holding on to the power of belief that even though life may appear as a rugged terrain, it does leave us with notable lessons. Jaycee’s story is not a reminiscence of her past, but a renaissance of victory and pride. 

Copyright (c) 2011 - present Dharbarkha.blogspot
Photo Courtesy: ABC News

10 comments:

  1. this brought tears to my eyes. its incredible the courage & hope Jaycee has shown. to endure all that she endured & for that many years....pray she finds happiness n peace n lives on to share n inspire

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  2. When I read this, I realize how fortunate I am in my life. I just saw the video :) We think that these sort of things dont happen in India. But our country is no different from the rest of the world if not worse. Something very similar happened to my friend. The sad part of this is that in India people are not even aware things like this happen. Thanks for the great post.

    http://abhishekranjith.blogspot.com/

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  3. it really touched me dear thanks for beautiful sharing
    god bless

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  4. Thank-You for sharing the endearing story. I love the language you use as you write which brings strong emotion and paints a picture of this woman's ordeal and her life as it is now.
    -Liz

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  5. Yes Sujatha, Jaycee’s story is a journey of longing to be free and faith and optimism were her only anchors. Her story is emotive and also very inspirational. She has just published a book called ‘A Stolen Life’ by Jaycee Dugard. The book is available on the Amazon. You may like to read it.

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  6. Thank you Baili for your kind words.

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  7. Thank you Elizabeth for your thoughtful and benevolent comment. It means a lot to me!

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  8. Very well written Barkha, thought provoking and disturbing. Men were never meant to be brutes but some still display the trait evolution should have erased.

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  9. Thank you Satish. Very true some people can be such brutes that they seem to terrorize the sanctity of humanity.

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  10. I saw her interview last night. I was amazed about this woman, who stayed so pure and close to herself. She isn't bitter, she just wants to go forward with her life. It made me realize that my life wasn't so bad, even though I had my share of toughness :-) I feel a deep respect for Jaycee Lee and want to wish her the most wonderfull life she can imagine. She's strong and has the most powerfull gift in life: her selfrespect!! Go girl!! You're an inspiration to your girls ánd to the world!!

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