22 Incredible Facts About True Crime Survivors

"The duty of the survivor is to bear testimony to what happened ... You have to warn people that these things can happen, that evil can be unleashed."—Elie Wiesel. 

“When I was a little kid, I was just like anybody else.” - Jeffrey Dahmer

They say that which does not kill us makes us stronger, and if there's a group of people who prove that maxim every day, it's the people who have fought for their lives against some of the most terrifying odds.

Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen to good people. It’s sad, but that’s the way the world is. However, the victim of all that horror is sometimes a person who inspires us all with their courage, resilience, and willingness to forgive.

Reminders that the world is not always the frightening place that it appears to be may seem few and far in between, but they certainly exist.

With that in mind, here are 24 uplifting, yet harrowing, facts about people who lived through horrific things and came out the other side as an inspiration to all of us.

“I don't even know if I have the capacity for normal emotions or not because I haven't cried for a long time. You just stifle them for so long that maybe you lose them, partially at least. I don't know.” - Jeffrey Dahmer

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22. Good Advice

14-year-old Elizabeth Shoaf was “arrested” by Vinson Filyaw, who was posing as a police officer. He then led her to a bunker where he kept her for ten days.

Over those 10 days, Shoaf gained her captor's trust to the point that he let her use his phone (she said she wanted to play games to pass the time). Of course, in between games of Candy Crush, Shoaf texted her parents, who called the police.

Filyaw trusted her so much that when the real police arrived a short time later, he asked her what he should do. Shoaf advised him to run, which he did, leaving her to stroll nonchalantly to safety.

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21. The "Adult Film Maker"

You might not think of an adult film producer as the image of moral consistency, but when Larry Flynt was paralyzed by a neo-Nazi who objected to scenes of interracial relations in Flynt’s magazine, and who had killed eight other people, Flynt lobbied hard to ensure his assailant was not given the death penalty. Flynt, a lifelong critic of capital punishment, said: “I just don’t think the government should be in the business of killing people.” You may not have expected sound moral guidance from the creator of Hustler, but here we are.

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20. Roia Atmar

Roia Atmar was married at fourteen and spent five years in an abusive relationship. The abuse escalated to the point that Atmar had be hospitalized for three months after her husband set her on fire.

With the help of a social worker and the police, Atmar and her children were able to escape. Today she works for a non-profit organization which provides housing and community support to victims of domestic abuse.

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19. Olympic Heroes

Winning Olympic gold is an impressive and inspiring feat in its own right, but in 2016 some of America’s most famous gymnasts came forward to reveal the abuse they had suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar, who molested more than 200 young athletes over his two decades as a team physician.

Through their testimony, these Olympic heroes ensured that Nassar would spend the rest of his life in prison.

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