She is stooped over, pale, and her hair is gray. Her teeth are horribly decayed from lack of care. Because of vitamin D deficiency, her bones are a mess. She may even be in worse condition than her children because she had "freedom" for 18 years prior to her imprisonment.
Face it: Her captivity was quite similar to that endured by those in concentration camps during World War II.
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Elisabeth also has a host of emotions to deal with. There have been other cases of women held in captivity for a long time, though not as extreme as hers, and have been sexually assaulted. Two Russian women, Lena Simakhina and Katya Martynova, were trapped for years by a predator, but they somehow recovered from their ordeal.
But both are now happily married and sent out a message of hope to Elisabeth, insisting she will recover from her ordeal and regain her trust in people.
Lena, 25, said: "We want to tell Elisabeth, It can be all right. Not all men are monsters.
"You can find true love, as we have. We know something of what you went through and will go through in the future as you try to recover."
Katya, 22, added: "Elisabeth, please know you will recover and you will learn to trust again. Love can conquer anything, however horrific.
"Our lesson is that you can put all this ordeal somewhere at the back of your mind and get on and live a completely new life. Some people told me I would never be able to forget it but I am so happy now I can. I wish the same for you."
Of course there are critical differences between the two cases. The two women did have the opportunity to read, write poetry, and exercise. They didn't suffer the sensory depravation Elisabeth and her children in the cellar did. They were NOT violated by a relative who they should have trusted. Not that their case should in any way be discounted, for it was horrific, but their case really isn't the same. Elisabeth will have a far harder time adjusting.
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