ROCHESTER, N.Y. — High school seniors across the country are celebrating their graduations this month. Ketsia Corbett’s been wrapping up her senior year with piano recitals, tennis matches, award ceremonies, a senior trip and her BOCES graduation. Her grades were top 10 in her class, and she was even voted prom queen by Danville High School’s class of 2024.
“I’ve enjoyed it for the most part," Corbett said. "All the different things. It’s been good. But it’s definitely been hard, especially as it’s closing up and there’s all these different events. I already had one graduation and award nights and stuff. It’s definitely hard not to have my dad here. Just like the extra reminders, I guess.”
She hasn’t seen her father, Ryan Corbett, since he left to check on his business in Afghanistan in July 2022. He’s been wrongfully detained by the Taliban since Aug. 10, 2022. The humanitarian ran a business helping Afghans start their own businesses. Helping people is a passion his oldest daughter has taken up, and plans to use in her future career as a nurse.
“I’ve always enjoyed helping people, and that’s always been something like seeing my parents do, and see a lot of people around me do," Ketsia said. "And I’m excited about that. And just like in a practical way, to help people and service people that are hurting and struggling. It’s a good career. And I’ll find a job. And it’s something I enjoy doing. And it’s something I’ve talked about doing for a long time. So, I know it’s something my dad would be happy with me doing because he’s known I just wanted to do that.”
“It’s sweet to see her want to care for other people," her mother, Anna Corbett, explained. "She’s lived among the poorest of poor and she’s seen people who have physical needs, emotional needs, who live in deep poverty and who are lacking water and electricity and things like that that we take for granted. But she’s seen the value and she’s learned to notice details. And I think she’s going to be an amazing nurse because of all these experiences. I am really proud of her. I’m very excited that she’s going into nursing. I think she’s going to be an amazing nurse. Everybody’s going to love her, and I know Ryan is very proud of her as well. And I think she’s going to do a great job. So I’m really proud of this next step for her.”
Corbett’s success in high school opened many doors during her college search, but it was still challenging without the guidance of both her parents.
“I got accepted into a lot of different schools, but I decided to go to Alfred State that’s like 25 minutes from my house, so I’m just going to commute,” Ketsia said. “I’m excited to stay close to home rather than going far away. Just so whenever my dad comes back I can spend some time with him and come home every night. Because it’s just hard. Like, [there are] a lot of changes are coming. And, so, that’ll be nice to keep home the same.”
“She applied at a lot of schools," Anna said. "We visited probably 20 or so. But as time went on, she narrowed in and, finally, what seemed to make the most sense was to choose a school that was nearby and where she could stay at home and be close in hopes Ryan would be back very soon. And I’ve seen her take her time, but be wise with her decisions, and I’ve tried to support her in that, but also not make the decision for her."
Anna says her daughter has stepped up throughout their family’s battle to get her husband home.
“Ketsia has been a leader in our family," she said. "She’s been an amazing support and encourager. She leaves us notes around the house and remind me that she loves me and she supports all of us. She’ll just randomly wash the dishes or just help with different activities and she’s been an encouragement. I know to Miriam and Caleb. She’s been a big encouragement to Miriam and Caleb as well. And I think the fact that she’s thriving under adversity, I think encourages her friends at school as well. We’re not the only ones going through difficult things. And yet, we’re trying to not just wallow in self-pity and only live for ourselves. And I hope that makes a difference as well.”
Anna has taken 12 trips to D.C. to advocate for her husband's immediate release from Taliban custody. Recently, she was the first hostage family to be able to take advantage of new state legislation that funds a trip to the nation’s capital. This is in addition to a trip to Doha that she was able to do with her father, a French citizen.
“I went back to D.C. and because of some new legislation, there’s actually funding for families of the wrongful detainees," Anna said. "And so they organized all the logistics for my flights and for the hotel. And that went really smoothly. I was super grateful for that generosity and for that legislation. So, that worked out really well, and I squeezed in 18 meetings in three days. It was a lot. I was super encouraged by all the support on the Hill. On the Senate side, congressional offices are very engaged. What can we do to help? I went to Doha, and had some really good meetings with Qatari officials there. I shared my gratitude just for all that they’ve done. They’ve facilitated now three visits to Ryan and helped with the calls that we’ve had. They’ve also helped get notes back and forth. So it was a really great opportunity to meet in person and thank them. And express appreciation for whatever they can do to bring Ryan home.”
She feels her presence with the country’s lawmakers does make a difference. She says there are many legislators that have taken a passion for her husband's return. A bipartisan resolution in the House passed last month with 72 co-sponsors.
“The leaders of the Senate have stated they want Ryan’s immediate release," Anna said. "And yet, I continue to ask for meetings with the president, [there has been] no answer [and] no tangible progress. Ryan is not home, and I need the president to ride this momentum and his work on bringing Ryan home immediately because time is running out. Ketsia is about the graduate. Ryan’s deteriorating mentally [and] physically and we’re really concerned and frustrated with the slowness of this process. It’s exhausting. What’s good is that so many people now are following and championing this situation with me. I don’t feel alone, but at the end of the day, I don’t see progress. And that’s very concerning to me.”
The ongoing battle has been difficult on everyone in the family. Their husband and father has already missed so much time and many precious moments with the rest of the family.
“There have been a lot of milestones and Caleb turned 13 and 14 [and] the girls are about to turn 17 and 19. Caleb is heading into high school. They’ve had the opportunity to do sports and every time there’s a season, we’re hopeful that Ryan will get to watch them and, unfortunately, he’s missed all of them ... The kids told Ryan on Sunday, Happy Father’s Day. He didn’t know when it would be, so they wished him Happy Father's Day early. So it’s hard. It’s really tough,” Anna explained, “Now Ketsia is finishing high school and this is a huge milestone. And other families are talking about this big transition, and I just, I don’t even have the emotional capacity to think about that. I just want to do my best to transition her to the next stage. But I can’t grieve the changes. We’re grieving so much already and grieving missing Ryan and, hopefully, he can be back soon to celebrate these things and not have to miss any more. But as it drags on, it’s just really tough to keep hoping Gand trusting and believe that progress will be made and that he will be home.”
Time with family is valuable to the Corbetts and they fear for Ryan life if he doesn’t return home soon.
“He’s deteriorating rapidly," Anna explained. "He’s not 41 years old, and he shared with me on this recent call that his ears are constantly ringing. His eyesight is failing. His skin is like crocodile skin. He’s not doing well and emotionally, he’s deteriorating and we need progress to be made before it’s too late. I just don’t want anyone to forget what Ryan is, is experiencing right now. He’s stuck in a dark basement with no sunlight and no bathroom and his health is worsening,”
Saturday marks 688 days of her father being in a nine-by-nine basement cell with minimal access to nutrition, sunlight and a bathroom. His family says they’ve spoken with him eight times for a total of 88 minutes. On their last call, he told them they wouldn’t recognize him. They’ve also reported his health is declining quickly. He told them he has fainted and had seizures, he has discolored extremities and he’s lost so much weight that his wedding band no longer fits. The family says they won't stop advocating for him until he's home.
In a recent United Nations Human Rights article, Alice Jill Edwards, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, said. “The conditions in which this humanitarian worker is being detained are utterly inadequate and substantially below international standards. This is having a significant impact on his physical and mental health, which is declining rapidly. Without adequate medical care he is at risk of irreparable harm or even death.”
Anna is proud of her family’s accomplishments while experiencing their family experiences the unimaginable.
“The kids are showing a lot of resilience, and I’m really proud of them," she said. "They’re pretty amazing. They’ve gone through a lot. And I wish they weren’t going through this right now, but they re showing a lot of inner strength, and I’m proud of them for continuing to do their chores, and their homework, and caring for others in the midst of this. It’s amazing and I’m really proud of them."
As his oldest daughter prepares for her next steps, she’s also advocating for her father’s return. She recently posted a TikTok asking for President Joe Biden’s help in reuniting her father with her family. Yet she remains optimistic in the choices she’s made for her future in hopes of her father’s anticipated return.
“I don’t really know what the future holds, but I’m excited," Ketsia said. "[We've] got the next four years figured out."