Edith Eva Eger, Holocaust survivor with El Paso ties, dies at 98

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Edith Eva Eger, a Holocaust survivor and former El Pasoan, died Monday. Her legacy lives through her work in psychology, public speaking and her three books.

Eger was just 16 years old when Nazis raided her home in Hungary, according to her obituary. At the time, she was training as an Olympic gymnast.

While in a cattle car bound for Auschwitz, her mother told her, "No one can take away what you've put in her own mind." Both her parents died in the gas chambers.

According to her obituary, Eger kept this mentality to survive multiple death camps. Josef Mengele, the infamous "Angel of Death" ordered Enger to perform when he learned she was a gymnast and dancer.

Her obituary said she would imagine performing at the Budapest Opera House.

She was liberated May 4, 1945.

In 1949, Eger moved to the United States with her spouse, her obituary said. They settled in a small room in Baltimore before moving to El Paso in 1955. While living in the Borderland, Eger read an Auschwitz survivor's book that gave her the courage to speak about her past.

During the mid-1070s, Eger worked in psychology at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss, where she treated and cared for "even the most troubled" combat veterans as an intern, her obituary said.

Eger's developed her work to become a globally-renowned speaker, a pioneer and psychology, a consultant in training and treating PTSD for the U.S. Army and Navy. Her obituary said she also helped survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

She published three award-winning books: "The Choice: Embrace the Possible;" "The Gift: 14 Lessons to Save Your Life" and "The Ballerina of Auschwitz."

Enger recently spoke at the El Paso Holocaust Museum in February. She shared her story as part of the "Dimensions in Testimony" exhibit.