Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight 'Thank You' Video Prompts Berry's Grandmother to Release Her Own Message [WATCH]
Amanda Berry's grandmother Fern Gentry responded to the video released Tuesday by her granddaughter, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus thanking people for support after being rescued from captivity in Cleveland, Ohio.
CNN cameras were with Berry's grandmother when she saw the video of the three women who were held captive together in the Cleveland basement of Ariel Castro for nearly a decade. Upon watching the clip, Gentry spoke about how she felt in regards to the rescue of her granddaughter. She also had a message for viewers who are still searching for their own loved ones.
"I thought Amanda probably was done," she said. "But when I saw her walk through that door, and she said 'It's me. I'm alive.' That's the most important thing I've heard in my life."
"Gotta be strong. And I know she thanks everybody for everything they've done for her," Gentry added.
Since the women were rescued two months ago, The Cleveland Foundation has already collected more than $1 million from nearly 10 thousand donors, according to the news station. The Cleveland Courage Fund was also created specifically to the three former captives and Berry's daughter Jocelyn. As of Wednesday, donations to the Courage Fund surpassed $1.115 million with more than 9,300 individual donations, according to the fund's official website.
Gentry said she hopes the video released by the three women will inspire others not to give up searching for missing children. She said, "there are a lot of more children out there that's gone and missing. Just have hope."
In the joint video released earlier in the week, 32-year-old Knight said, "I may have been through hell and back." She added, "but I am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face, and with my head held high, and my feet firmly on the ground."
