My name is Saira , and I’m a mother of four beautiful children. For years, my life was centered around raising them with love and care. But on December 3, 2023, everything changed. That day, I received a call saying my son hadn’t been dropped off at school. He was just five years old.

My heart dropped.

I was terrified. I had long feared his father might do something drastic but I never imagined he would take our youngest child and leave the others behind, without their brother or their father.

Later, I discovered Turkish passports had been secretly obtained for all of our children. I had tried to raise red flags and report my concerns, but no one listened. No action was taken.

At first, I was told by son’s school principal that his father had notified them he’d moved to another province. Then the police confirmed what I feared most: My son had boarded a flight from Calgary to Montreal, and then from Montreal to Istanbul, Türkiye. My baby was gone.

It has now been 555 days since my son was taken.

I’m still here in Calgary, raising my three other children who miss their brother every day. They ask me constantly if there are any updates. And too often, I have to tell them, “Not yet.”

I filed a Hague Convention application, since Türkiye is a signatory country. But the process is long, slow, and incredibly expensive. Canadian support has been minimal, and I’m left carrying the emotional and financial burden of this battle while trying to stay strong for my other children.

I have never asked for help like this before but I need to now. I am doing everything I can to bring my son home, and I can’t do this alone any longer.

Your donation, no matter the size, will go directly toward meeting my family’s immediate needs as I navigate government services and funding that often create more barriers than support. We must do better in Canada to protect and support children and families: both those taken and those left behind.

My son deserves to grow up safe and surrounded by love, truth, his family. His siblings deserve to have their family whole again. And I am not giving up on my son. If you are unable to donate, please consider contacting your Member of Parliament to ask for support in son’s case. I am unable to engage directly with foreign governments, and so far, I have not been able to make meaningful progress with the Hague application or through the appropriate government channels, despite exhaustive efforts.

Every bit of support matters to me and my family during this unmanageable time. Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and prayers.