Missing From Me: Heather Shtuka Living with the Unknown After Ryan’s Disappearance

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What happens when your entire world collapses in just four sentences? For Heather Shtuka, that moment came through a text message revealing her son Ryan hadn't returned from a house party. In this profoundly moving conversation, Heather shares her journey through what experts call "ambiguous loss" – the unique pain of grief without closure.

Heather takes us through the immediate aftermath of Ryan's disappearance in Sun Peaks, British Columbia, and the unexpected challenges that followed. When professional search teams departed after just one day, she and her husband, Scott, found themselves becoming impromptu search coordinators with no prior experience. This crash course in advocacy became the foundation for something remarkable: a way to help other families navigate the unimaginable.

The conversation explores Heather's memoir "Missing From Me," written in real-time during those early months of searching, providing raw insight into a parent's experience of ambiguous loss. Her words capture not just the pain but also surprising moments of beauty, purpose, and resilience that are discovered along the way. Perhaps most inspirational is how Heather transformed her grief into the Free Bird Project, a nonprofit supporting families of missing loved ones with practical resources and emotional guidance.

What began as a simple reference to Ryan's childhood love of dinosaurs has evolved into a global movement, with thousands of 3D-printed dinosaurs travelling the world, each bearing a QR code that shares his story and encourages acts of kindness. Through this creative legacy, Ryan's presence continues to inspire positive change, proving that love truly refuses to be silent.

Whether you've experienced profound loss or simply need reassurance that strength can emerge from our darkest moments, Heather's perspective will stay with you long after listening. Her powerful reminder that "you can do hard things" serves as both comfort and challenge to all of us facing life's most difficult circumstances.

https://www.ryanshtuka.com

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Who is Julie Fairhurst?
Julie Fairhurst – Speaker, Author, and Founder of Women Like Me

Julie Fairhurst is a champion for women’s empowerment and the founder of the Women Like Me Book Program. Since 2019, she has published 30 books and 300+ true-life stories—at no cost to the writers—giving women a platform to heal, inspire, and reclaim their power. Dedicated to breaking generational trauma one story at a time, Julie’s mission is to uplift women emotionally and financially, helping them create better lives for themselves and their families.

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