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James Foley Asked Family to 'Stay Strong' in Message

"All letters Jim wrote to his family during his captivity were confiscated by the jailers. So, Jim devised a better approach this last June."
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The family of James Foley, the American journalist beheaded by an ISIS militant, has released a final message they got from him — full of family memories and hope that he would one day be released.

"All letters Jim wrote to his family during his captivity were confiscated by the jailers," the family wrote on the "Free James Foley" Facebook page. "So, Jim devised a better approach this last June: he asked a fellow hostage about to be released to commit a letter to memory." After his release, the hostage dictated the note to the family.

In the letter, Foley said that 18 hostages were held in one cell and that he relied on prayer and thoughts of happier days for the strength to continue. "I have had weak and strong days. We are so grateful when anyone is freed; but of course, yearn for our own freedom," he told them. He included short messages for his siblings and ended on a positive note: "Stay strong because I am going to need your help to reclaim my life."

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