NYSUT.org exclusive: New York State Trooper Sayeh Rivazfar was one of the 416 riders participating in the 100-mile Ride for Missing Children. "It's all about the awareness," she said. "If you are aware, that's half the battle." This is her story.

On the night of Sept. 21, 1988, eight-year-old Sayeh Rivazfar and her six-year-old sister, Sara, were abducted from their Pensacola, Fla., apartment. Ray Wike, their mom's ex-boyfriend, drove the sisters to a wooded area about 20 miles from their home.

After binding Sara with tape and cloth, Wike raped Sayeh. He then took the girls deeper into the woods, told Sayeh to say her prayers and slashed her throat.

"I just dropped to the ground. I had to close my eyes and play dead because I knew if he saw me he would finish killing me," said Rivazfar.

Wike turned the knife on Sara then left the girls to die in the woods.

"I got up and went over and looked at my sister. I called her name several times but I knew by the look of her that she wouldn't answer."

Sayeh, bleeding from her own wounds, went for help.

Far from a victim, Rivazfar is a survivor. Rivazfar knew after her ordeal she wanted to be a part of the criminal justice system. A New York State Trooper since 2003, Rivazfar shares her story every year as a presenter at the state's sex offense seminar held for educators, law enforcement, medical professionals and prosecutors and defense attorneys. "It's a great group of different agencies that have such a strong hold on being able to prevent things like this case from happening," she said.

This year she was one of the 416 riders participating in the 100-mile Ride for Missing Children. "It's all about the awareness," she said. "If you are aware, that's half the battle."

In addition to her fund-raising with the Ride for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Rivazfar and her family started Sara's Race, a 5K run in Rochester to raise awareness and funds for missing children.

In May, Rivazfar received the Courage Award from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Her next career goal: to be an investigator working computer crimes, including child pornography.