Today we talk about Elizabeth Smart; a 14 year old girl who was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002, in the middle of the night by a man who had previously worked in her family home. Elizabeth endured nine months of captivity, manipulation and abuse before being found alive. Her story of survival captivated the world and ultimately helped change conversations around victim advocacy and recovery.

In 1994, a young woman named Allison Botha was abducted, brutally attacked and left for dead in the South African wilderness. Her injuries were catastrophic and by every definition, she should not have survived.

But she did.

This is a story of unimaginable violence- but more than that, it's a story of sheer willpower and the human instinct to live.

Listener discretion is advised- this episode contains disturbing details.

In this episode we explore one of the most harrowing (and inspiring) survival stories ever told. In 1978, 15 year old Mary Vincent was hitchhiking in California when she was picked up by a man who would forever change her life. What followed was an act of unimaginable violence/

Mary's story is not just one of survival but of extraordinary resilience, courage and the unbreakable will of the human spirit.