Who we are
I’m Joe, Lindsay’s eldest son.
Toby is my younger brother. Chelsea and Kieran are Craig’s kids. Together we’re a blended family.
My mum once said...
"Hardships create a springboard from which we can propel ourselves forward with more energy, motivation, purpose and meaning than if we had walked a simple and straightforward path."
We’re trying to believe this is one of those hardships, something we’ll grow through. But the truth is, it’s more than that. It’s a rupture. A tearing of the fabric of our lives, our sense of safety, and our connection to the people we love. It leaves a weight that never really lifts. A quiet, gnawing uncertainty that sits in our chest every day, fed by not knowing where they are, how they are, whether they’re safe, or when we’ll see them again.
Each of us is trying to carry that weight in our own way.
Toby’s only 19. He’s juggling university and part-time work with a heart that feels far too heavy for someone his age.
Chelsea and Kieran are doing what they need to do looking after everyone else. They’ve got young kids, older relatives, people relying on them. And somehow, they’re holding it all together while living with this quiet fear that never goes away.
AND ME? I'M DOING WHAT I CAN TO STAY UPRIGHT.
I try to find hope and courage wherever it shows up.
I hear Mum’s voice in my head, her strength, her optimism, her belief that even in the darkest moments, there’s still light. I hold on to that. If the roles were reversed, and we were the ones imprisoned, she would not stop. She would move mountains to bring us home. So, we know what we have to do.
We are doing our best. But we know it’s not enough, on our own.
We are a family.
And today we are reaching out to a bigger one, the human family.
The part in all of us that believes in compassion and justice.
IN YOUR HEART, YOU'LL KNOW WHAT PART YOU CAN PLAY.
All we are looking for is your moral support.
Maybe it’s writing a letter.
Signing a PETITION.
Maybe it’s sharing their story…
However you choose to act, we’ll respond with gratitude.
And if all you can do is hold us in your heart, we will value that too. That is something real.
We’ve been brought together by love, and now we’re held even more tightly by fear, hope, and the fight to bring our parents home.
Thank-you, Joe