The cover of Missing from Me, written by Heather Shtuka. (Photo submitted)

Nearly five years after he went missing at Sun Peaks Resort, Ryan Shtuka’s mother has published a book that documents how the family has coped with their grief.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Heather Shtuka says she hopes the book, titled Missing from Me, will give people a better understanding of what it is like when a loved one goes missing.

“We use a lot of humour and sarcasm in our family which is probably very much in part to Ryan, something that he would have appreciated, but that is not what other families would go through,” she said.

“I’d hate to say that that is what you should do but I think there has to be allowances for every family that is going through loss to process it in the way that feels the most natural and organic to them.”

While glad that her story – and that of Ryan – is resonating with readers as the book is a best seller on Amazon, she does admit she is not an expert in guiding people through loss.

“I would never want to have this be something that people look to as a manual on how to go through grief or ambiguous loss. I would hope that somebody, if they’re going through tragedy looks at the book and that there are some pieces that resonate,” Heather added.

“I do hope that people will find something that will mean something to them.”

Ryan Shtuka was last seen leaving a house party on Burfield Drive in Sun Peaks on Feb. 17, 2018.  Several extensive searches since that time have all been unsuccessful, with Ryan’s mother also hoping that the 420 page book will help preserve his legacy.

“It is very bittersweet to have this and have any sort of success come from that or have people find it interesting or engaging because it is always borne on the back of the tragedy of my son,” Heather said, noting she wasn’t sure if she’d ever write a book about the ordeal.

“I wasn’t able to assist in the searches right away, and so I started posting every day on facebook and it just sort of grew organically with a life of its own,” she said. “I always through there had to be some way to put all of that into one place where people could read it.”

“I do hope that people will come away with a better understanding of what search and rescue is about for families. Not necessarily the actual act of it, but what families have to go through when they’re searching for their child.”