Reflections on My First Year of Freedom after Captivity - From CEO to Survivor

Reflections on My First Year of Freedom after Captivity - From CEO to Survivor

Dear Friends,?

Today, I decided to make a twist in my newsletter, nevertheless it refers?to the same topic of "Building up Resilience", but I want to share something really deeply personal with all of you.?

It has been almost one year (this Sunday October 1st will be one year) , since I regained my freedom after spending five unimaginably challenging years as a hostage in Venezuela, that I never imagined it coming or happening to me neither in my worst nightmares?

This anniversary is not just a marker of time; it's a reflection on how this experience has shaped my life and the path I've chosen to take after.I am always today referring to my "previous life" and "my new life". This event divided my life in two pieces, before and after that event?

I came back to a world that I did not entirely recognize and at the beginning I felt lost,? because I found that the world had changed in 5 years?,?it was like coming back in a time machine. Everything had changed. I didn’t even know how to handle a phone.I am still learning to live in this new world.?

I returned to a family that had been reshaped by the deaths of my mother-in-law, and my aunt, who was like my mother , and by the birth of my new grandchild.

My family dynamics had?changed. My wife was always depending on me. I was the guy who made all the decisions in my house, and at some point, she realized that she was alone, that she had to survive, and that she had to support me. My wife is now independent.?

For five years I lost any type of independence and I wasn't able to choose what I was going to eat the other day, and I learned to live my life "one day at a time"

With over three and a half decades as an Oil & Gas Top Executive and CEO , I had reached the pinnacle of my career, poised to retire comfortably. But then, God presented me with an unexpected twist, a "proof of life" that I could never have anticipated. I was called to a "last minute" International Business trip from Houston to Venezuela that changed my life forever, one week before Thanksgiving 2017

But now looking back at this past year, that I decided to evolve into "my new life', it's that I realized that I have been doing a lot.

Looking back, it's hard to fathom how I managed to endure those five long years in captivity. The adversity I faced was beyond what most people can imagine. But it taught me the incredible strength that resides within each of us and that comes?from our inner self because we had the meaning to come back strong in body, soul and spirit to our family.??

After my release, I didn't want my story to be one of despair. Instead, I decided to turn it into an opportunity to help others. This led to the creation of a coaching program I decided to call today "LPSG - Life Pills for a Survivor's Guide." It's the way I found in? offering support and guidance to those navigating their own challenges and how to overcome adversities in life, that I had learned in the hard way.?

My unique experience also gave me insights into assessing international travel and expatriate risk, because?I went through it and nobody trained me how to look at this or what will happen to me or to my family once we went through this situation.

My Family went to hell and a nightmare trying to navigate the circumstances and trying to bring me back home,?that?today I don't want that experience to be repeated by others , and that's why I decided? to share my knowledge and my network to ensure the safety of others in similar situations.

( https://youtu.be/oAxoGanBvhk?feature=shared?)

I also started speaking publicly about my experiences under a speech I crafted that I decided to call? "From Captivity to Freedom." I have had the opportunity to share it in several audiences?,?but I will continue looking for?many more forums to?share my message;( https://youtu.be/hz1zpZHWkLc?feature=shared )

My goal is to?create awareness about the often-overlooked issue of "Hostage Diplomacy" , and how my adversity I could converted in building up resilience, with the help of the love of my family and the hope and faith in GOD.?

I have not only gone to Public Speaking, I have been attending interviews , writing articles or having a newsletter that is this, and even have been attending dozens of Podcast all over the world ,to spread this message to raise the awareness of this Hostage situation and to tell my story to help this never repeat again to others.

I decided to convert this Hostage situation?I went through?into advocacy work for the Hostage Community that today i belong, and supporting all the foundations that advocate for this cause; it's about being a voice for those who have suffered as I have. It's my way of contributing to a cause that I'm deeply passionate about.

?And least but not last , I have decided to write the book of my journey , through the letters that during years I smuggled with my wife been in jail as an act of love in a desperate move not knowing if i will someday recover my freedom or even make it.

That letters became in my memoirs and I converted them in my book , and is the?way I chose to raise awareness, not just about my story but about the broader problem of hostage diplomacy worldwide , and it was the way I found a? way to shed light on what's happening in Venezuela and to inspire others to stand up against injustice.?

As I look back on this year, I'm humbled by the support and encouragement I've received from all of you.

I never imagined that my life would take such a turn, but I believe that every challenge carries a purpose. I hope to honor this purpose by helping others find their resilience and strength.?

My last words to all of you is to ask for your support becoming part of this cause that for me is a "movement" and help me to put my message of raising awareness on this Hostage Diplomacy? , helping me in telling my story to stop this happening in this unfortunately countries like Venezuela and support the Hostage Foundations ,that I will donate to them.

SUPPORT GOING TO THE LINK:

https://publishizer.com/from-hero-to-villain/

About Jose Pereira

Jose Pereira, a former oil company executive with thirty-five years of experience and the former CEO of Citgo Petroleum, was unjustly detained and held captive in Venezuela as a member of the CITGO6, a group of six Americans employed by Citgo.

His wrongful captivity, based solely on his American nationality, lasted for 1,775 days, from November 21, 2017, to October 1, 2022.

Since returning from his five-year detention, Pereira has reconnected with his family and written his memoir. He stands up for Americans unlawfully detained overseas and strives to modify US laws concerning these crimes.

Pereira continues to leverage his experiences living and working in multiple countries to engender compassion in individuals of all ethnicity and across all cultural and political considerations to bring hostages home.

He empowers others to make positive changes in the world as he works to re-acclimate to society and is passionate about joining his voice with others intent on raising awareness.

webpage https://joseconnect.com

About the book: "From Hero to Villain-The true Story of the CITGO6"

Pereira's book is a riveting account of the events leading up to and during the imprisonment of the CITGO6. Notably,during most of his detainment, Pereira and his wife engaged in a death-defying act reminiscent of Anne Frank secreting her diary from the Nazis. They smuggled letters to each other, which boosted his morale to keep living another day and inspired this book upon release. These carefully written words served as a vital resource for Pereira in outlining his memoir. The determination and bravery embodied by him and his wife in preserving these letters under such punishing duress add a remarkable layer of depth to Pereira’s story.

When you read his accounts, you are there with him in the gritty cell, enduring the agony of fellow prisoners, then finally rejoicing when he hears the news he is going home.

Pereira’s story has since evolved into a movement: changing the narrative of what it takes to bring the wrongfully detained home. This is a work unlike any other. The advent of critical change is making a difference not only in the lives of prisoners; it is transforming global politics around these cases. Sometimes, it is the quietest voice that influences and alters our trajectory. Also in the works: a guidebook providing recommendations to returning detainees to enable their successful reintegration into society—the only publication of its kind.

if you wan to know more of the book go here:?https://fromheroetovillian-thetruestoryofthecitgo6.com/

WANT TO BOOK A CALL?

calendly.com/josepereiracoaching

We will also continue our defense of all those who continue to be wrongfully detained around the world as part of wicked hostage diplomacy. For more information, please visit and donate to @BOFHCampaing.

And remember

"Never give up, never lose hope, never lose faith"



Kingsly Ako ENOH

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9 个月

Wow!! Deeply touched by your remarkable journey to freedom Jose Angel Pereira Ruimwyk ??

Joel P Lundeen

Chief Executive Officer at Delta UAS Services,llc

1 年

Welcome back! Your story and character are remarkable! Happy we connected.

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