The man who police say was held captive in his Connecticut home for more than two decades is speaking out, saying he is “much better and stronger.”

The 32-year-old Connecticut man who police say endured more than 20 years of captivity, abuse and starvation at the hands of his stepmother released his first public statement Tuesday “to begin the process of reclaiming my life and to have my say in how my story is told.

A man who told police that he was held captive in a Connecticut home by his father and stepmother and given limited food for 20 years before being rescued is thanking medical staff for holding what he called his first-ever birthday party as he turned 32.