Torn Pages: A Mother’s Story of Her Children's Abduction To Saudi Arabia

When Patricia Bonis lost her children to international abduction, she was thrust into every parent’s worst nightmare—fourteen years of silence. In her memoir Jeddah Bride, Patricia recounts the unimaginable journey from Florida courtrooms to the heart of Saudi Arabia, where a judge’s decision to allow unsupervised visitation led to more than a decade of separation. With raw honesty and emotional clarity, Patricia exposes the human toll of international custody battles. Her story reveals the alarming gaps in protection for children and parents caught between conflicting legal systems.  "Within one hour of his unsupervised visitation, they were on a plane to Saudi Arabia—and I didn’t see my children for fourteen years," she says, still stunned by how swiftly her world changed. Now a passionate advocate through the organization Find My Parent, Patricia channels her pain into purpose, offering hope and support to others navigating similar tragedies.  Her story is a powerful reminder of how quickly ordinary lives can be upended—and how resilience can restore what once seemed irretrievably lost. Have a comment? Text me! Support the show **************************************************************************** ➡️ P.S.: ☕ Love the show? Support it with a coffee! If you enjoy the podcast and want to help keep it going, you can fuel it (and me!) with a cup of coffee at Buy Me a Coffee. Every sip counts—thank you! 💛