Kelsey & Alex's New Start Fund

Hi, I’m Janet and I live in Vancouver, Canada, with my beautiful daughter Kelsey.

In early 2022, Kelsey met Alex, someone whom she quickly realized after a few months, was her soulmate. Kelsey & Alex were inseparable, this was a relationship she hadn’t experienced before, and she knew it was special. The same rang true for Alex with her. Spending any amount of time with them, you knew they were in love. And like anyone in love, all you want to do is share it, talk about it, and live in it every day. That’s what they did, taking small weekend trips together, sharing memories with each other and with friends, getting to know each other’s families. It was easier for Kelsey on that front as she’s from Canada and we live nearby, whereas Alex is from a Latin country, with a permanent residency in Canada.

For Kelsey to get to know Alex’s family better, they would need to make a trip to his

country. This was so exciting for Kelsey to be able to meet his family and for Alex, the

excitement for his family, to meet the girl of his dreams. We knew it was serious if he

wanted to take her back to his home country to meet them. The trip got booked, with

friends going along as well, and so much love and excitement surrounding it.

On October 1, 2022, they took off. As a mother, you always feel better when your child arrives at their intended destination. “Text when you land” is what I said after dropping them off at YVR. Many hours later I got the text they had landed……...…but what followed was the beginning of Kelsey & Alex’s nightmare.

All the friends were being taken through Customs and asked questions, they got

delayed but all came through OK, except Alex, who never came out of Customs. They were at the airport for hours trying to get answers but were told to leave and head to their hotel. For 2 days, Kelsey and her friends knew nothing of what had happened to Alex. Only that he was taken away in a police car. All the information and contacts for his family, were with him. Eventually after 2 days, through social media, contact was made with Alex’s family. We found out that Alex was detained and being held. After many days, it came out that he was being wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit. In a foreign country, to be accused is to be guilty, not officially, but they hold you none the less. Someone else committed an offense and blamed it on Alex, with zero proof. Today it is October 31 st , 2023 and our dear Alex is still not home back in Canada, where he holds permanent residency. Well over a year, with proof of his innocence NOT guilt, but still being held because the justice system where he is, is not the same as Canada. The experience for him has been heart wrenching. Poor living conditions, little food, sickness, crowded living, the list goes on. We miss Alex and we pray for his safe return, confident that in the end, his true spirit and character, along with his innocence, will set him free. We are hopeful this will be only months away, but we don’t know.

This is also about Kelsey, the one left holding all the pieces with Alex away. Her

experience is also heart wrenching. After 2 weeks away last year, she came back home, without Alex, and without the light in her eyes. I was back to YVR to pick her up, scooping her in my arms and telling her it would all be OK, not actually knowing that it would be. What else do you do as a mother? We support our kids.

Kelsey, like Alex, is a strong spirited and beautiful soul. She’s dealt with many hardships but this one…no one could relate, she felt so alone and abandoned, boyfriend held in a foreign country, really not many people can relate to that one! Kelsey’s father died when she was 4, her and I had many conversations around grief, as that was the only similar emotion she could relate to.

Lots of comments that followed the initial experience were supportive, but others were not: “dump him”, “move on!”, “why would you stay”, “that’s crazy, just worry about you”. When you know that the person you love is innocent, you don’t walk away, you stand tall, you rally to help them. That’s Kelsey, to her core. The negative comments were not easy during a time that her emotions were running so high. Quite frankly, I’m amazed how she held her cool.

Alex and Kelsey bought a car together, taking out a joint loan, but it was really Alex that drove it and looked after the expenses. When Kelsey came back, that car loan and allthe expenses fell on her alone. She was not prepared for this. Their future and movingin together, gone, for now. Expenses for Alex in Canada, loans, bill payments, etc., were paid out of an account he had, but that quickly got used up and Kelsey has paidexpenses herself, to ensure Alex’s residency status is not comprised. Kelsey has at times in the past year, worked 2-3 jobs to cover her expenses. She continues to

struggle with the car loan, rent and less good paying jobs. This has been so much for a young 26-year-old to deal with. Kelsey has spent well over $10,000 this past year for extras she didn’t expect. The hope is also to try and build some savings for when Alex returns to Canada, but, there is no room to save. It is a paycheck-to-paycheck

existence. Kelsey is paying for bills, that are meant for 2 people, as 1 person.

Alex is still being held, he has not been charged with any crime. Kelsey went to visit him in April, to give them both the strength they need to carry on. A one week trip for a 12 hour visit only. They are both holding strong, staying positive and being hopeful, hoping his release date will come soon.

Any kind of support you can offer will be so greatly appreciated by Kelsey and myself.