Alberta mom pens best-selling book about her son's disappearance
The mother of a Beaumont man who has been missing for more than four years has written a book about her family’s experience.
Ryan Shtuka was last seen leaving a house party in Sun Peaks, B.C., on Feb. 17, 2018. He was 19.
- Teen missing after Sun Peaks house party
- 'Keep the hope up': Beaumont comes together for missing man
His mother Heather says the book, Missing From Me, started as a series of online posts after Ryan went missing and his family travelled to Sun Peaks to search for him.
“I was just recovering from a torn Achilles, so I wasn’t able to go out physically searching. As a parent, when you have your partner out searching every day, you just sort of feel like there’s not much you can do. I felt helpless,” she told CTV News Edmonton.
“I wanted Ryan to be known. I wanted people to know it was more than just a missing child. I wanted to have more than just attributes saying he was loyal and handsome and funny, I wanted him to be real.”
Ryan Shtuka is seen in photos released by RCMP. Supplied.
She sat down and wrote the book from the posts during the pandemic.
“COVID hit and we had months and months of being at home, and she had all this time, and she really put pen to paper, and it really took off,” said Ryan’s dad Scott.
The book has become a bestseller, but Heather says it’s bittersweet.
“I’m humbled and incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of attention its received thus far.
“At the end of the day it’s hard to celebrate anything that comes from it, except maybe an awareness piece, because it’s always born on the brunt of Ryan’s tragedy.”
The couple hopes families going through a tragedy can take solace from the book, knowing they’re not alone.
“People can look at our beginning, and our middle, and for now there is no end for us, to see as they are beginning their own journey that there is ways to navigate,” Heather said. “We’re not saying that anything we have done is the be-all-end-all of how you would approach a missing person, but it brings awareness to other people.”
The book is available on Amazon, Chapters, and other major booksellers.
Since Ryan’s disappearance, Heather has also co-founded a non-profit organization called Freebird Project to help families with support and resources when a loved one goes missing.
She hopes the book and the non-profit serve as a legacy for Ryan.
“In his absence I felt honour-bound maybe to make sure I could preserve it in some way, so long after Scott and I have left this earth there will be a record of Ryan and people will be able to read his story and know how much he is loved and how much he matters.”
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.