Running away from home is never an easy decision. It’s difficult to leave everything you know behind and venture towards an uncertain future. However, for some people, it may be the only option. Here are ten stories of runaways who found a safe haven:.

1. Elizabeth Smart

Elizabeth Smart was only 14 years old when she was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah in June of 2002. She was held captive for nine months before she was rescued by police.

During her captivity, Smart was repeatedly raped and forced to wear disguises and travel with her abductors. After her rescue, she returned to her family and has since become an advocate for missing children and sexual assault victims.

2. Steven Stayner

Steven Stayner was abducted in 1972 when he was 7 years old. He was held captive for seven years until he was able to escape with another abducted boy.

After his escape, Stayner was able to reunite with his family and was considered a hero for saving the young abducted boy. However, Stayner struggled to adapt back into society and tragically died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24.

3. Benjamin Blackwell

Benjamin Blackwell ran away from his home in Maine when he was 14 years old. He hitchhiked across the country and eventually settled in San Francisco, where he lived on the streets for almost a year.

He eventually found a home at Larkin Street Youth Services, an organization that provides support and housing for homeless youth. Blackwell now works for the organization, helping other young people who are in need.

4. Kirsten Hatfield

Kirsten Hatfield was abducted from her home in Midwest City, Oklahoma in May of 1997. Her case remained unsolved for over 20 years until authorities were able to make an arrest in 2015. At the time of her abduction, Hatfield was only 8 years old.

Her mother, Shannon Hazen, has since become an advocate for missing children and worked to pass “Kirsten’s Law”, which requires convicted child sex offenders in Oklahoma to undergo DNA testing.

5. Shawn Hornbeck

Shawn Hornbeck was abducted in 2002 when he was 11 years old. He was held captive for four years in a suburban Missouri apartment by Michael Devlin, who had abducted another boy, Ben Ownby, during Hornbeck’s captivity.

In 2007, Hornbeck was able to escape when Devlin left him alone in the apartment and he was able to call the police. After his rescue, Hornbeck returned to his family and has since become an advocate for missing children.

6. Anthony Godby Johnson

Anthony Godby Johnson was a pseudonym used by a boy who claimed to have been sexually abused by his mother and father. Johnson wrote a book, which became a bestseller, about his experiences and the abuse he suffered.

It was later discovered that Johnson was a fabrication, and the author of the book was actually a woman named Vicki Fraginals who had created the persona of Anthony Godby Johnson. Despite the controversy surrounding the book, it brought attention to the issue of child abuse and the need for better protection for children.

7. Jadon Higganbothan

Jadon Higganbothan ran away from his home in Ohio when he was 15 years old. He traveled across the country and eventually settled in San Francisco, where he became involved with the Larkin Street Youth Services organization.

Higganbothan is now an advocate for homeless youth and works to provide support and resources to young people who are in need.

8. Natashia Koss

Natashia Koss was abducted by a family friend when she was only 2 years old. She was held captive for almost 13 years before she was able to escape.

During her captivity, Koss was forced to change her name and was made to believe that her family had abandoned her. After her rescue, she was reunited with her family and is now a vocal advocate for missing and exploited children.

9. Carlina White

Carlina White was abducted from a hospital in New York City in 1987 when she was only 19 days old.

She was raised by her abductor, who had posed as a nurse in the hospital, until she was able to recognize herself in a photo on a missing children’s website. After her discovery, White was reunited with her biological parents and has since become an advocate for missing children and the use of DNA testing in identifying victims.

10. Anissa Weier

Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser were two young girls who made headlines in 2014 when they lured their friend, Payton Leutner, into the woods and stabbed her 19 times.

Leutner survived the attack and Weier and Geyser were later arrested and charged with attempted murder. Weier, who was 12 years old at the time of the attack, was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and was ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment.