The weekend of Sept. 29th, my family packed up for a fall camping trip. We were looking forward to the cooler weather, fishing, and sitting by the fire. We camp with our longtime family friends, and between our two families, we have five girls. Our girls love to ride their bikes, and it is something they look forward to when we go camping.

As parents, you do everything you can to keep your children safe. You establish rules, guidelines, and watch their every move. When riding bikes, our girls always had to go in pairs. Four of our girls were out riding their bikes, and after a few laps, everyone decided to take a break — except Charlotte. She wanted to go around one more time.

Unbeknownst to all of us, a monster had been watching and waiting for the children to go around the loop again. On Sept. 30th, every parent’s worst nightmare happened — someone kidnapped Charlotte 150 feet from our campsite.

She was gone for a total of 47 hours. During that time, multiple law enforcement agencies worked tirelessly to bring her home, with little to no information as to her whereabouts. Thankfully, her abductor left behind a fingerprint when he left a ransom note in our mailbox. Hours later, she was located and returned to our family.

Charlotte is an inspiration to me and those around her. She has not let this horrible experience define her, and though her trust has been hurt, she remains the same kind, loving, and incredibly funny girl she has always been. She continues to excel at school and has even stepped out of her comfort zone to participate in a few theater productions.

I could never in my lifetime thank everyone enough for what they did for Charlotte and our family.

Our goal now, as we move forward, is to find ways to help others who have been in similar situations. Sometimes it is just being a support system — letting people cry on my shoulder and share their story. My sister-in-law, Jené Sena, and I have worked with local assemblymen and senators to help establish privacy laws and support systems for survivors like Charlotte, and to work toward giving parents and local law enforcement more say in regards to the Amber Alert. As of right now, this is in the beginning stages, but we are hoping to see these positive changes come to light in Jan. 2025.

Charlotte is my hero. I want her to be proud of her family. I want her to know that she can do hard things. She has a choice. She is a survivor.