Donna's girls kindly ask for your help to visit our Mum and eventually bring her home, where she belongs. Our Mum, Donna Nelson, was the victim of a romance scam. She was duped by her partner into carrying a bag into Japan which contained drugs. Our Mum had no knowledge of this, and we maintain that she is the victim of a crime and not a criminal. But a court in Tokyo has found our Mum guilty of drug trafficking and she has been convicted. Her November 2024 trial came almost two years after she was first detained at Narita Airport in January 2023, and she has spent 23 months in solitary confinement. Upon delivering the verdict, the judges referred to her as a "peripheral participant" even though she was not aware of a crime being committed and admitted she is the victim of a romance scam. Justice Kamakura said "Ms Nelson was taken advantage of through her desire to marry the man and there was room for 'sympathy' for what she did." Before her trial, Mum was subject to a communication ban, which meant we were unable to speak with her or visit her for nearly two years. Family is everything to Mum, and she has been kept apart from us for too long. Japanese prisons do not have facilities to enable phone/video calls therefore we can only rely on letters (her letters take 2-3 weeks to arrive) and in-person visits which can be very costly. This is where we draw on those whose hearts have been touched by her story and wish to assist us in our journey to visit our Mum and one day bring her home. We need to raise funds to cover the significant costs associated with our travel to Japan to visit her with remaining funds covering her own eventual travel costs home. We understand some of you may not have the funds to assist but we would really appreciate it even if all you can do is share. Finally, we want to say that we appreciate the unbelievable support and well wishes for our Mum from across Australia. It has given her and all of us great comfort. 🦘❤️ Thank you, Love from Donna's girls (Kristal, Ashlee, Janelle, Taylor & Shontaye). *Feel free to follow us on Instagram and Facebook where we will be posting updates on Mum's situation and the funds raised: https://www.instagram.com/bringdonnahome/profilecard/?igsh=b2xkbGlubWM2Z200 https://www.facebook.com/share/1DV5afE1J7/ **Update: Mum's appeal was dismissed on 25/9 so she is now faced with the difficult decision to appeal to the Supreme Court or accept the verdict and apply for the "International Transfer of Prisoners (ITP)" process. Either way, we still plan on visiting Mum as much as we can for however long. We appreciate the love and support this far ❤️