My mom comes from a generation that doesnt talk about mental health problems, he said, explaining that despite this, before COVID-19, shed been working on it and chatting with him about her problems. Being open about it is critical and thats something she had been doing.

He said in the past couple of years Helen has been struggling with a series of stressful situations, followed up by emotions resembling depression.

She struggled with her anger at times, she struggled with staying in a good mood, he said. For the last several years, after my grandmother passed, shes been struggling. My grandfather deteriorated incredibly quickly after (my grandmothers) death, within a 1.5 years he was in a dementia ward in a retirement home. It was a heavy burden (my mother) took on.

Following COVID-19, Michael, who now lives in Cambridge, said hes been giving his parents their physical space considering their age and his wish not to take risks with a deadly virus.

Since COVID hit, our conversations have largely revolved around that, he added, noting the pair had been speaking several times a week.

Then, just 48 hours after he received a happy, normal voicemail message from her congratulating him on a successful job interview, he got the worst news of his life. Shed disappeared.

Since then, Michael does not believe shes been using her cellphone.

However, he said, police are not sharing those sorts of details with the family at the moment.

If theres been one seemingly positive thing thats occurred since her disappearance, its the amount of support the family has received, including people from the depths of his phone contact list reaching out to offer help and perfect strangers showing up at the familys Aurora home to grab flyers and hand them out all over town.

Theres been a tremendous outpouring of support people we havent spoken to in decades, he said.

He said hes struggled the most with the idea that his mother, like him, a wilderness camper her whole life, didnt tell anyone where she was headed, a golden rule in the family growing up.

Although detectives involved with the case were unavailable to speak, Michael said one area they have been looking into involves hotels and motels in the Huntsville and Gravenhurst area, where the family have a plot of land.

So far, nothing.

The sense of desperation is climbing and hope is fading fast, he said, chocking back tears.

Sedo is described as a white female, five-foot-one, dark brown shoulder-length hair, wearing glasses and carrying a red- and olive-coloured duffel bag.

Anyone with information is asked to contact York Regional Police #1 district criminal investigations bureau at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7141 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip online at http://www.1800222tips.com.

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'On the raggedy edge of losing it': Son of missing Helen Sedo speaks out - yorkregion.com