By Refraction

Ryan Shtuka: a mother’s missing child

Jul 22, 2018 | 5:00 AM

WHEN A THEME repeatedly shows up throughout your week, it’s best to pay attention.

My daughter and I were playing “Would You Rather” and the questions had been fairly predictable until she asked, “Would you rather a hurricane that destroys hundreds of homes or a tsunami that kills one person?”

What a choice.

To be honest I considered dodging such a weighty question, but then Ryan Shtuka’s face suddenly came to mind. How would I feel if that one “anonymous” person was my own child? It made the answer a lot easier.

The next day at a restaurant in Sun Peaks I noticed a “missing” poster with Ryan’s picture and information. Particularly because I had just been thinking about him, I felt deep gratitude that the business would have a poster prominently displayed and struck up a conversation with one of the employees. We talked about the close knit community at the hill, the ongoing search, the disbelief and shock felt in the wake of Ryan’s disappearance and the complexity of such a mysterious and tragic event.

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A few days later I noticed a #findryanshtuka decal on the window of a vehicle with the now trademark green heart and dinosaur that have become associated with Ryan’s vanishing.

And that’s when I realized that this week, for whatever reason, I am supposed to write about Ryan Shtuka.

Ryan was last seen leaving a residence at Sun Peaks, BC on February 17, 2018 in the early morning hours and (as far as the public knows) there has been no trace of him since. In the months following his disappearance Ryan’s mother, Heather Warren Shtuka, has been bravely sharing in words and pictures what it’s like to walk through the nightmare of having a missing child.

Reading Heather’s words and watching the family’s home videos has caused thousands of people to become personally invested in the life of Ryan as we’ve learned about his childhood, friendships, character, life and how much he is loved and missed — all through the eyes of his mother.

I’ve never seen more effective, honest or compelling advocacy than Heather’s on behalf of her son and family. She has made her child alive in our hearts and minds; making him a fully realized person that, even as strangers, we feel connected to. Heather has also been incredibly generous in describing the unimaginable challenges and roadblocks that exist for families of missing people.

Heather’s unwavering dedication to ensuring that Ryan is seen as a beloved child and not just an anonymous name has changed how I respond to the news of any missing person. With her generous and powerful words she has reminded me that every missing person is someone’s child.

Whether they went missing from the Highway of Tears, a neighbourhood playground, East Hastings Street, a rural community, a picturesque ski resort or anywhere in between, those who are missing are important, missed and valuable.

We should care about them all: Ryan Shtuka, Jessie Foster, Michael Dunahee, Tamara Lynn Chipman, Chantelle Simpson, Velma Marie Duncan, Rollande Doherty and many others.

I don’t know who will read this or how it might help; but I do know that if he were my child, I would want his name and story to be told as often as possible to anyone who would listen, because even one mother’s missing child should be enough to make us all keep saying his name and showing his face until we #findryanshtuka.

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* For more information on Ryan Shtuka or to find out how you can help visit www.ryanshtuka.com If you have any information in regards to Ryan’s whereabouts, contact the Kamloops RCMP call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

* For more information on other individuals missing in Canada visit: missingpeople.ca.