10 replies to this topic

[Denise]

http://www.harpercol...f the Dragonfly

Flight of the Dragonfly
By Melissa Hawach

It was a case which made international headlines in 2006: two small girls, Cedar, 3 and Hannah, 5, were abducted by their Lebanese–Australian father, Joe, and flown into Lebanon in the middle of a war. Their distraught Canadian mother, Melissa Hawach, was left to figure out where her daughters were, if they were safe and what, if anything, she could do to get them back. When the courts and all legitimate avenues failed her, Melissa had to make an agonising decision; should she break the law and snatch the children from their father? And how would she then be able to get them out of the increasingly dangerous Middle East?

Gripping and clear eyed, this is the inside story of a choice no parent should have to make.

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http://calsun.canoe....657336-sun.html

Mom's nightmare

UPDATED: 2008-05-24 03:10:22 MST

Journey to recover kidnapped children recounted in book

By KATIE SCHNEIDER, SUN MEDIA

It's every parent's worst nightmare, but one Calgary mother is shining light on child abduction and the organization that gave her ordeal a happy ending by helping reunite her with her daughters.

In her new book, Flight of the Dragonfly, Melissa Hawach recalls her journey to reunite with her daughters Hannah and Cedar, then five and two years old, who were abducted by their non-custodial father in July 2006 when he took them to Lebanon after a three-week vacation in Australia.

"I was nauseous, it was sickening, in the first 24 hours there was a lot of pacing," Hawach said yesterday during her book's official launch.

But with the investigative work and emotional support provided by the Missing Children's Society of Canada, Hawach was able to reunite with her girls at a resort in Beirut in December 2006 after being separated from them for six months.

"Hannah saw me first and called out to me, she ran right to me," said Hawach.

"They saw me there in that moment, they knew I'd come."

Hawach said she hopes her story will raise awareness of the subject of parental abduction and encourage others who are searching for their children longer than she was to never give up hope -- even in situations that seem impossible.

"The society was very crucial, every parent who goes through this is obviously very emotional," she said.

"They (the society) just won't ever give up, that's something a parent needs to know -- hope is a really important thing."

To prevent similar abductions, Hawach wants governments to establish standardized forms for parents to fill out in order to take a child on a plane and across the border.

"There's more forms for duty-free than travelling with a child," she said.

Through the Light the Way Home Campaign, the society will be encouraging people to leave their porch lights on tomorrow to mark National Missing Children's Day.

More than 60,000 children are reported missing annually and the society is currently working on 23 active files in Alberta, said Marilyne Aalhus, director of development.

"Fortunately, most return home within 48 hours -- unfortunately, for many families, that file cannot be closed," she said.

"We obviously are very proud of (Hawach's) story and know that it was a happy ending."

[Denise]

"The Year of Fog" by Michelle Richmond (Trade paperback, fiction)



This novel is about a lady who took her fiancee's 6-year old daughter to a foggy beach in San Francisco one morning so she could search for sand dollars. The little girl ran ahead of her a little as she followed with her camera (she's a photographer). She stopped for a moment to look at a seal, glanced up at a funeral procession going by on a highway and when she looked back, the little girl was gone....in a matter of a few moments.

The book is about her guilt over 'losing' her fiancee's child, searching her memory for clues leading to the disappearance and her continued search for the little girl, even after everyone (incl. her own father) gave up on the fact that she could possibly still be alive.

I highly recommend this book.

[Denise]

We are extremely excited that Michelle Richmond, author of "The Year of Fog," blogged about Project Jason at her website after seeing this thread and my recommendation of her insightful book. 

Michelle is a nationally recognized author and the fact that she was touched by Jason's disappearance and has offered to help with fund raising/donations means so much to all of us.

Please visit the link: http://michellerichmond.com/sanserif/

[Denise]

I have not read this novel so I can say whether or not I would recommend it; I do plan to read it, though.

Songs for the Missing, by Stewart O'Nan

From the website:

An enthralling portrait of one family in the aftermath of a daughter's disappearance

It was the summer of her Chevette, of J.P. and letting her hair grow. It was also the summer when, without warning, popular high school student Kim Larsen disappeared from her small Midwestern town. Her loving parents, her introverted sister, her friends and boyfriend, must now do everything they can to find her. As desperate search parties give way to pleading television appearances, and private investigations yield to personal revelations, we see one town's intimate struggle to maintain hope, and finally, to live with the unknown.

Stewart O' Nan's new novel begins with the suspense and pacing of a thriller and soon deepens into an affecting family drama of loss. On the heels of his critically acclaimed and nationally bestselling Last Night at the Lobster, Songs for the Missing is an honest, heartfelt account of one family's attempt to find their child. With a soulful empathy for these ordinary heroes, O' Nan draws us into the world of this small Midwestern town and allows us to feel a part of this family.

http://www.stewart-o...he_missing.html

[penlady]

I recently came across a book called Ambiguous Loss, Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief by Pauline Boss, who is a psychotherapist. It is helping me cope with the loss my missing son, who disappeared seven months ago. Can anyone recommend other books that can help us  deal with the uncertainty of a missing loved one.

[Kelly]

That's probably the only one available in regular publications. However, there are some online books you can read as well. Even though they are labled as being for families of missing children, there is some good information within.

You might want to start a thread about this in the family member area of the forum. Also considering posting a question to our counselor in the Healing Harbor section of the forum.

http://www.missingki...n_US&PageId=644

When Your Child is Missing
 
Published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, this guide was written by parents and family members who have experienced the disappearance of a child. It contains their combined advice concerning what you can expect when your child is missing, what you can do, and where you can go for help. It explains the role that various agencies and organizations play in the search for your missing child and discusses some of the important issues that you and your family need to consider.

[Kelly]

A book written by one of our families:

http://www.gilbertc.net/

Gilbert C. Hurry Home! I Just Want To Say I Love You

In the heartbreaking memoir Gilbert C. Hurry Home! I Just Want To Say I Love You!, Janey Lee Caravallo pours out the anguish of the terrible tragedy that befell their family: On one ordinary day, October 6, 2004, the author's elder brother, Gilbert Paul Caravallo, left his house in Hawaii, went somewhere and never came back. A normal adult standing six feet tall, Gilbert, then 35, seemed to have simply vanished from the face of the earth. His disappearance, however, is surrounded by suspicious circumstances. One of the last people to see him didn't seem to have a coherent account of when and where he last saw Gilbert, and the police investigation didn't reveal anything........

[Kelly]

Written by my good friend, Jannel Rap, founder of 411Gina.org:

30 Days in a Life: 2. 6 Million Moments 

October 17, 2000, forty-year-old Regina "Gina" Bos disappeared after a performance at an open mike night. Gina's sister, Jannel Rap, poured her energy into the search, but as of this writing, Gina has not been found.

The pain of losing Gina, followed by an intense desire to find her, eventually brought Jannel to a new place in her life, one where she learned to redirect her anguish into action. After putting her music career on hold, Rap began to witness firsthand how she could funnel her grief and pain into positive energy through her music and start to heal.

30 Days in a Life shares Rap's inspiring journey of how she refused to allow the tragedy of her sister's disappearance rob her of hope. Join Rap as she candidly explores her vulnerability, and finds empowerment through rising against the pain and becoming a warrior for personal peace and tranquility.

http://search.barnes...95445424/?itm=2

[Denise]

I am reading Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan; it is excellent and very realistic.

I was happy to see that Project Jason's 18-Wheel Angel program is mentioned on page 39 of the book!

[Kelly]

About the Book:



Bringing Jon Home: The Wilderness Search for Jon Francis is my first hand account of the long and complex wilderness search for our son Jon, and the story of Jon's remarkable life, sudden disappearance, and inspiring legacy.

On Saturday morning, July 15, 2006, Jon Francis, climbed to the summit of the Grand Mogul, in the Sawtooth Mountain Range of Central Idaho. He never returned. Law enforcement searched for only 29 hours. After the evening search team briefing, on July 17, 2006, the Incident Commander approached me and said; 'David, you need to give your son up to the mountain.' Feeling helpless and abandoned the Francis family gathered that evening and committed to continue the search. We knew very little about mountain climbing or search and rescue, but we would learn and utilize the hundreds of volunteers who were streaming into Idaho to find Jon.

While I relentlessly pursued the search for my son, I also made wonderful discoveries about him. Jon Francis was a remarkable young man. He touched and inspired others. He loved deeply and was deeply loved. I wrote Bringing Jon Home to help others, to expose the gap in public sector resources dedicated to finding missing adults, and finally to let people know that an uncommon young man named Jon Francis once lived and loved among us.

About the Author

About the Author David Francis is president of the Jon Francis Foundation (JFF), a non-profit organization with the mission to provide support and empowerment to the families of people missing in the wilderness. The Foundation was created as a tribute to David s 24-year-old son, Jon, who went missing in July 2006 while climbing the Grand Mogul in the Sawtooth Mountains of Central Idaho. Authorities had abandoned their search for the young man after just three days, but David and his family refused to give up. They mobilized hundreds of volunteers who spent more than a year searching the wilderness.

David Francis is a retired Minnesota businessman, former nuclear submarine officer and retired U.S. Navy Captain with 30 years of naval service. His business experience includes several years with 3M and IBM and sales, marketing and management at five high technology startup companies in Minnesota. David and his wife, Linda, live in Stillwater, MN. They have been married for more than 40 years and have one son, Jon; three daughters, Robin, Jocelyn and Melissa; and six grandchildren, Taylor, Katie, Stephen, Audrey, Charlie and Camille.

To order the book: http://www.amazon.co...u-wl_item-added

For more information: http://jonfrancis.org/

[Lori Davis]

http://footprintsofc...e.com/book.html
by Jan Jenkins (mother of murder victim, Chris Jenkins)

"Some people come into our lives and quietly go; others stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same." - Anonymous

BOOK FRONT FLAP

If you were a vibrant, accomplished college senior who mysteriously disappeared, would your family trust that the police would launch a full-scale investigation? On November 1, 2002, Jan, Steve, and Sara Jenkins discovered that their son and brother, Chris, had not been seen since the previous night. They also learned that the Minneapolis police would not initiate a search until seventy-two hours had passed because Chris was over eighteen years old.

Written with exceptional candor and shocking detail, Footprints of Courage is the first look inside the tragic and untold saga of the Chris Jenkins murder investigation undertaken by the family who loved him. Chris’s parents and sister took extraordinary measures to force the truth into the light, including securing the assistance of global leaders in water rescue and recovery, appearing dozens of times on local and national newscasts describing how Chris may have died, even analyzing autopsy and recovery photos for clues – the list of steps they were forced to take on their own initiative is endless.

Chris’s disappearance captivated a city, and then a nation, when the public learned that dozens of young men in the preceding twelve years had met a similar fate. While pushing to unravel the mystery of his murder, Chris’s courageous family paved the way for federal involvement in the possible serial homicides of more than seventy victims.