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
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.