WNBA player Brittney Griner is calling on her supporters to write to retired marine Paul Whelan.
Griner posted the letter to her Instagram account.
It was later shared on Twitter by other users.
Opening the letter, Griner expressed her appreciation to her supporters.
“Your letters were also bigger than uplifting me. They showed me the power of collective hands,” Griner wrote.
She continued, “Together, We can do hard things. I’m living proof of that. My family’s whole, and now, thanks to you, we are fortunate to get to spend the holidays together.”
Griner acknowledged there are “too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained.”
The letter goes on, “Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the WeAreBG Campaign to bring me home and it’s our turn to support them. I hope you’ll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families.”
Read Griner’s letter below:
Grateful @brittneygriner is HOME. And of course she’s already working for others. It’s who she is. We are lucky she exists in this world 💜 pic.twitter.com/PTcupvfIie
— Ashley ✨ she/her/hers (@godessofvictry) December 21, 2022
Concluding the letter, Griner wrote, “Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I hope your holiday season is full of joy and love.”
At the bottom of the letter is a mailing address for Whelen.
Last week, Griner posted on Instagram for the first time since being released from Russian custody, as IJR reported.
“It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help,” she wrote.
Whelan has been detained in Russia since December 2018 on charges of espionage.
In 2020, Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in jail.
Griner was released earlier this month as part of a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, as IJR reported.