SEATTLE - Elisabeth Huff reads the last letter her granddaughter Amanda, wrote to her.
"Don't worry about me, together we can do everything," Huff reads, while holding back tears. "She always writes this at the end, in German 'Here comes the sun, let it be, I know I'm not alone, even when I'm alone. That's Amanda. That's my last letter."
Huff had hoped on this day she'd prepping to cook rouladan, Amanda's favorite Christmas dish. She anticipated holding her first born granddaughter in her arms.
But an Italian jury convicted Amanda of murdering her British roommate in 2007 and sentenced her to 26 years in prison.
"My husband served in Vietnam. I dealt with that easier because I knew there was help, there were people working with him in that situation. This is harder on me on that," she said.
Huff said it's hard to watch from thousands of miles away, Amanda sullen, weak and at times defeated. It's also financially devastating. At 72 years old, Huff is $250,000 in personal debt. Collectively, the family has spent more than a million dollars on attorney fees and travel, and it's not over.
"We lived by what our income let us have. This just blows us out of the water," said Huff.
The brightest spot comes once a week, when Huff recieves a letter from Amanda. Family and supporters also keeps her hopeful.
"That's it, you have to believe. That's the only thing that keeps the neck stiff, your back up, your chin up," she said.
Last night was tough, Huff says she spent the night tossing, turning and crying. Tonight however, her resolve is stronger than ever. As she does every Saturday, Huff will sit down to write Amanda a letter, filled with love and words of wisdom, the kind only a grandmother can give.
"This time I'm going to tell Amanda we're all behind you. We're all going to fight this through, you just need to help us out by being strong and sticking it out," she said.
Amanda's aunt, Janet Huff, says the gloves are now off. The family will be fighting aggressively to get Amanda home through the appeals process. They're not sure how they'll pay for it, but they're thankful for all of the contributions through the Amanda Knox Defense Fund. They're asking supporters not to forget, they need the support now, more than ever.
