Darrell's Walk to Freedom - Jean Simester

This book is about a British mom's struggle to find her son who went missing in the year 2000. Fearing he was being held against his will, Jean and husband, Tony, contacted the police on numerous occasions but because of Darrell's age, were never given the help they so desperately needed. Waiting for sporadic phone calls (once a year until they completely stopped) Jean tried to fit the missing pieces together and find out who was holding her son prisoner and where he was. A Facebook page was set up and followers quickly joined in spreading the news about Jean's heartbreaking search for Darrell. But it was only after an observant member of the public, read a newspaper article about Darrell, did they finally get the tip-off they needed. But finding Darrell became the best and the worst day of their lives. Having spent 13 years as a slave, he had been living in squalid conditions and he was ill - both physically and mentally. His health was in a terrible state - a hernia the size of a football, feet which were too painful to walk on and decaying teeth (amongst a huge list of other symptoms). His emotional and psychological health had also been damaged. Again, Jean and her family started another long journey - this time their fight was with the authorities and institutions we all rely on to take care of us. From Darrell's slow physical recovery to being diagnosed as autistic some time later, Darrell's Walk to Freedom, is an emotional rollercoaster which highlights the fact that slavery is still, in fact, a 21st century problem in the UK. Discover the sheer depths of a mom's love for her son, and learn what it means to Never Give Up!