Chukwudum family ‘praying for a Christmas miracle’

Chinaza Chukwudum is praying for a Christmas miracle to see her brother again.

This week marks nearly a month since Max (Promise) Chukwudum was last seen at a house party on Marshall Crescent on Nov. 17.

His sister Chinaza said it’s hard to face each day without knowing what happened.

“It gets really scary because you don’t know what to expect, but at the same time we do have a lot of support at the moment,” she said.

Promise (Max) Chukwudum was last seen on Marshall Crescent in Regina on Nov. 17, 2018. (Regina Police Service)

She and her father felt that support when 50 people gathered at a candlelight vigil around the fountain outside Regina city hall Thursday night.

Chinaza and her father said they wanted to make sure people in the community don’t forget about her brother because he’s still missing.

“We need to keep an eye out for any form of evidence, we need to keep our ears on the ground for any information that would be vital to finding where he might be,” she said.

“We’re just pleading for the public’s help, and we’re hoping that very soon something comes out of the investigation from police.”

Chukwudum said she and her father have been in contact daily with police, who are now conducting aerial searches of the surrounding rural areas.

In a time of celebration for most families, she said her family is scattered – with she and her father here in Regina and her mother and other family members back home in Nigeria. She said they’re thankful for the support of her brother’s friends, along with new friends they have made and community members who are keeping up the search.

“It makes the load lighter, having people who are supportive and who care,” Max’s sister said.

She said they’re still holding out hope and praying for a miracle that her brother will return safely to them.

Cameron Fraser is a minister at Knox Metropolitan United Church and met with the family to share a prayer before speaking at the vigil.

“As the days grow darker and we move towards the solstice, we recognize that it’s a time of light and celebration for many people. But I think it’s all the more important to turn our eyes to those who are in fear, to those who are sad, sick, scared or alone and to keep them in their minds as well,” he said.

Fraser shared the message to connect them with a family who he said is going through something unspeakable that no one would want to imagine.