a stolen life

a memoir by Jaycee Dugard

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a stolen life is a memoir by Jaycee Dugard. She tells her story exactly
as she remembers it from the time she was abducted at eleven years
old, up until she was found eighteen years later.

Jaycee, age 11

Childhood
Jaycee Lee Dugard was born on May 3, 1980 in Anaheim California. Growing up she lived in Anaheim with her
mother, Terry Probyn, and her step-father, Carl Probyn. Her real father was not apart of her life but she was
close to her mother; she didnt get along with her step-father. She also had a baby step sister who she was also
close with. After a break in at their apartment in Anaheim, the family moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1990 where
they lived for about a year before Jaycee was kidnapped.

Growing up, Jaycee describes herself moving from school to school

making it hard to make new friends and how she was shy but always
wanted to be accepted, a part of the crowd(Dugard 166).

The Kidnapping
On the morning of June 10th, 1991, Jaycee was walking to the school bus when a man pulled up in a car
asking for directions and then tazed her and put her in the back of the car. When she woke up she was in
Antioch, California. She was kept in the backyard of Phillip and Nancy Garridos home where she lived for
eighteen years.

Phillip and Nancy Garrido, the people who abducted Jaycee

Dugard.
The Garridos secret backyard

Schooling and Education

The last real schooling that Jaycee had was at Meyers Elementary school in South Lake Tahoe. Her
life was forcibly taken away, she wasnt given the option of going to high school and college. For the
first few years of her abduction, the most education she got was watching T.V. and writing in a
journal. As she gained Phillips trust however, she was able to use a computer to educate herself. As
she became accustomed to Phillip and Nancy she even helped in the family printing business called
Printing For Less.
Jaycee did all of the graphic design and work for the
business.

Children
During the eighteen years that Jaycee was with the Garridos, she was raped countless times. By the
age of fourteen she has already given birth to her first baby girl, named Angel. Then again at age
eighteen, Jaycee gives birth to her second daughter named Starlit. Jaycee is stolen of everything that
means something to her, even the right to be called mom. She is forced to be called her childrens
sister while Nancy is called their mom. Although Jaycee has to pose as their sister and even
change her name to Alyssa, she still acts as the childrens mom; she cares for them and even schools
them using the computer.
Starlit Dugard(left) and Angel Dugard(right).
Picture taken at the Garridos.

Current Life
Jaycee Dugard was found on August 26, 2009 when her, her two children and Nancy and Phillip
Garrido turned up at the Concord, CA parole office where the couple announced that they were indeed,
the ones who abducted Jaycee Dugard when she was 11 years old. Jaycee, at that time known as
Alyssa was asked to write her name down, this was the first time in 18 years she had ever written or
spoken her name.

Jaycee now lives a secluded life in Southern California with her two
daughters, her mother, and her step-sister who she was all reunited with
after rescued in 2009.

Jaycee now (35 years old)

Major Accomplishments
In 2010, Jaycee established the J A Y C foundation. This foundation works alongside Transitioning
Families to help families recover from traumatic events, like abductions. The foundation focuses on
healing and reunification through different types of therapy including traditional therapy, equine
therapy(horse therapy), animal therapy, and food therapy.

Questions and Life Lessons

What I find the most curious part of Jaycees life is how that in the 18 years of her captivity, she not
once ever tried to escape. Of course there is always consequences, she could have been caught and
punished but in my opinion it would at least be worth trying. I think the reason why she never left is
because she became attached to Phillip Garrido, she relied on him for everything. I also think she was
too scared of the outcome of what might happen if she left. She also never wanted to hurt Phillip or
Nancy although they hurt her countless times. In her March 13, 2004 journal entry she writes, I dont
want to hurt him [Phillip]....So how can I tell him I want to be FREE to come and go as I please?
(Dugard 185).
A mistake that Jaycee made was waiting 18 years for someone to notice her, to come save her when
she could have done it herself. A life lesson that she has shown through her mistake is that someone
cant always save you, sometimes you have to save yourself.

Works Cited
Dugard, Jaycee Lee. A Stolen Life: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. Print.
"Jaycee Dugard Tells Family: 'I'm So Happy'" PEOPLE.com. N.p., 09 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
"Jaycee Lee in Photos - Slide 10." NY Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
"PHOTOS: The Hellish Compound Where Jaycee Dugard Was Held." PEOPLE.com. N.p., 02 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Martinez, Michael, and .. "Phillip, Nancy Garrido Sentenced in Jaycee Dugard Kidnapping." CNN. Cable News Network, 02 June
2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
"Child Abuse Articles | HubPages Family and Parenting." HubPages. HubPages, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Martinez, Michael, and .. "Phillip, Nancy Garrido Sentenced in Jaycee Dugard Kidnapping." CNN. Cable News Network, 02 June
2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
"Training for Washington State Team." The JAYC Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.