My name is Mark Swidan, and I’ve been through an ordeal that would shake the very foundations of anyone’s sanity. For 12 long years, I was held captive in Communist China as an American hostage. The memories of those days still haunt me, and the trauma I endured is something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

The numbers alone are staggering. I was imprisoned for 4,394 days – a staggering 12 years of my life lost. I was subjected to unimaginable torture, starvation, and isolation. It’s hard to put into words the kind of desperation I felt, watching time tick away from me like sand in an hourglass.

When I was finally rescued on the day before Thanksgiving last year, I came back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Everything I worked for, every penny I earned, every investment I made – it’s all gone. My companies were destroyed, my credit is ruined, and my investments are nonexistent. I even lost the house I built my life around, the one I worked for decades to own. My cars, my clothes, my entire life’s worth of possessions – all gone.

It’s hard to fathom how I’ll ever rebuild my life. That’s why I’m reaching out to you today, asking for your kindness and support. I know it’s not easy to put yourself in my shoes, to understand the depths of my pain and suffering. But I implore you to consider donating to my cause. Every contribution, no matter how small, will help me take one step closer to regaining some semblance of normalcy.

If you can, please share my story with others, so that they may understand the unimaginable ordeal I’ve endured. I’m not asking for pity – I’m asking for a chance to rebuild my life. I’m asking for your kindness, your compassion, and your generosity.

If you’re willing to lend a hand, I promise you that every penny will go directly towards my recovery. I’ll use it to rebuild my life, to restore my dignity, and to find a sense of peace that has eluded me for so long.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

With gratitude and hope,

Mark Swidan