I was working full time when the boys were growing up so during half term I had a carer supporting Jack and Jared, ensuring that they had fun at home during the week and quality time with me during the weekend.

I was working just outside Oxford (about 50 miles from home) when I received a call to say that Jack had disappeared from our home.  I went into complete meltdown as Jack was non-verbal with no sense of danger, so panic levels were at their highest.  My boss decided he would take me home as he felt that I was not in a fit state to drive so we got into his car and headed home.  All the while I was speaking to the carers, the police and my husband who worked locally to where we live.

There was no sign of him……..

As I raced through my front door I was given the news that not only had he disappeared but he had taken his low slung three wheel bike with him along with his teddy Sweep, and had no shoes on!

The police had been given instructions on all the places Jack liked to go to, the local park, the train station and canal – his ultimate favourite place which is the Basingstoke canal in Byfleet where the M25 motorway is situated above and you can hear the constant thudding of cars as they drive above your head.  Jack loved the thud, thud noise and the peace of being by the water.

We finally received a call from the police two hours later saying they had found Jack and yes he was by the canal.  It took David two minutes to get to there, and then watched two policemen speaking to Jack as if he could understand everything they were saying…… er no he needs clear precise instruction.  David reminded the policemen that Jack has FXS and is also Autistic and Jack would not understand the way they were speaking to him.  We put his shoes on and walked him home, thankfully we did not lose Sweep and Jack had the biggest grin on his face, clearly having loved his adventure…… oh and the bike was now missing.

And then he only bloody escaped again!

Three weeks later he again got out of the house and this time we received a call from the police to say a workman had found him by the canal lock and knew that Jack was disabled as he had a child similar to Jack.  Once again on this adventure he had taken his teddy Sweep, and thankfully this time he did have his shoes on.

The police reported us to social services and Jacks social worker – a wonderful woman, Linda came to see us.  Linda understood us as a family, she had seen my tears, anger, frustration and depression through the years so knew we were trying to keep Jack safe but Jack clearly now had a taste for the big wide world.

We secured the house like Fort Knox and also had electronic gates put in so that he could not just walk out, I am not sure he was happy with this new system but we knew it would keep him safe.

The bike turned up two weeks later.

When I remember this time it reminds me that he was happier then, he wasn’t afraid of anything and I actually think he just wanted to be like any other 15 year old, to be able to go out on his own.

Sadly this will never happen, he will always require support at home and in the community so a BIG THANKYOU to all the people that care, support and work with Jack and of course the care team that support Dan and Jared too.

From the words of Forest Gump – My Momma says life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get – I certainly didn’t!