Yesterday, Ade and myself met with some members of the Forever Searching charity, with regards to the car show we are organising next year to raise funds for them. While we were there, we met Nicki Durbin, mother of 19 year old Luke, who vanished in Ipswich two and a half years ago. No clue has ever been found to explain his disapearance. Nicki has done something that no member of this board, including myself, thank God, has done. She has walked in Kate's shoes. Her story IS Kate's story, mirrored in every detail. The feelings of fear, terror, anguish and helplessness. The political indiference, the lack of any official support group. She too put up a website, pleading for help, but instead it attracted the 3a types, calling her a liar, a murderer, covering up the facts, claiming her son was an evil drug dealer, that he was now where he deserved to be, under six foot of concrete. One even commented that he would 'like to give her one'. Such is the state of human compassion. But her resolve to find out what happened to her son is as strong as ever, because despite being 19, he is still her baby. I was struck by her quiet courage, her dignity and strength, qualities she shares with Kate, it could have BEEN Kate I was talking to, and I felt so very humble, so unimportant, standing next to this slender but strangly impressive woman. She told us she had two heads, the strong and focused one for the public, and the weeping, helpless one for when she is at home. I now have a far greater insight as to what it means to loose a child, and be surrounded by evil types who seek only to add to that pain, and I remain in awe of Nicki, Kate and the parents of ALL missing children around the world. The 3a types are not fit to lick their shoes.
