Michelle Knight, who was held captive inside the home of a Cleveland, Ohio man for over a decade, has changed her name to Lily, a symbol of her second chance at life.
Lily is "my favorite flower," Knight told People magazine. The survivor's memoir, "Finding Me," is set to come out May 6, exactly one year to the day she was rescued from an 11-year nightmare in the home of Ariel Castro.
Castro kidnapped Knight and two other women, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, held them captive and repeatedly raped and beat them inside his downtown Cleveland home for over ten years. Castro, who kept his captives hidden from the neighborhood, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He later hanged himself.
Knight, who endured Castro's torture the longest, told People they maintained hope that one day they would be free.
"I think basically every day we told each other we'd make it out alive," the 33-year-old said.
Knight was the first of Castro's victims when he kidnapped her in 2002 at the age of 21. DeJesus was 14 when she disappeared on her way home from school in 2004. Berry, who was the first one who called 911 after she managed to escape, diapered in 2003 when she was 16.
"Everything in the hose was unexplainable," said Knight, who endured being chained to a pole in Castro's basement. "It happened. I don't know the reasons why," she told People.
The survivor is taking full advantage of her freedom. She is now living on her own and takes cooking classes.
"I don't take things for granted anymore," Knight told People, "not even the little things like looking out a window. I went through years of torture, and now I'm back. I'm free to fly."
Berry and DeJesus are also working on their own books.
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