Cherelle Griner can finally breathe ... something most people do without effort or thought, but something that was elusive to her during the 10 months her wife, Brittney Griner, was held captive by the Russian government.
Cherelle, who finished law school during her wife's captivity, tells PEOPLE ... "It was almost as if somebody just punched you in the stomach and you inhaled. You never get to breathe out."
She admits it was hard to hang on to hope .