Inside the McCanns' heartbreaking tradition that keeps Madeleine's memory and hope alive
LONDON, UK: A young girl named Madeleine McCann has been in the news for the last 16 years. The British child was on a vacation with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and twin brothers, Sean and Amelie McCann, in Portugal in May 2007 when she suddenly disappeared.
Recently, the shocking case got highlighted again when a Polish woman, named Julia Wandelt, who also uses Faustyna and Wendell as her surnames, began claiming that she is the missing Madeleine. Though the 21-year-old’s assertions made people eager to know more, it also brought back the memories of the haunting times the McCann family went through all these years.
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Were Kate and Gerry at fault?
As per reports, soon after the little one disappeared, accusations were made against her parents. But in September 2007, their names were cleared. It has been said that the pair worked at Leicester Hospital before the fateful holiday but after Madeleine disappeared, they both left their jobs and started working toward finding their daughter.
The girl’s mother also launched an NGO, named ‘Find Madeleine’, which works to “find Madeleine McCann, support her family and bring her abductors to justice.” Its aims are “To secure the safe return to her family of Madeleine McCann who was abducted in Praia da Luz, Portugal on Thursday 3rd May 2007; To procure that Madeleine's abduction is thoroughly investigated and that her abductors, as well as those who played or play any part in assisting them, are identified and brought to justice; and To provide support, including financial assistance, to Madeleine's family.”
‘The urge to look for Madeleine absolutely hasn't changed at all’
However, in 2020, when Covid-19 happened, Kate went back to her medical profession. Gerry also began working as a doctor. About her twin brothers, Now To Love reported that they “are both aspiring athletes, competing in swimming championships, triathlons, and cross country racing.”
In May 2022, the family gathered with other family members and friends to remember Madeleine. At the time, Kate said, as reported by The Sun, “Survival can be summed by up three words - Never give up. That’s the heart of it really, just keep trying. Sometimes you have to get knocked down, Lower than you have ever been.”
“To stand up taller than you ever were. Perseverance is stubbornness,” she noted. The mother also added, “We miss our complete family of five. As a family 98 per cent of the time we’re busy. I don’t know if that’s a conscious thing but it helps. The urge to look for Madeleine absolutely hasn’t changed at all.”
‘There’s a lot of thought goes into it’
In 2019, The Sun reported that Kate and Gerry have not stopped purchasing gifts for their missing child. The mother had shared, “I do all the present buying. I think about what age she is and buy something that, whenever we find her, will still be appropriate so there’s a lot of thought goes into it.”
In her 2011 book, Gerry shared, “Monday, May 12, 2008, was Madeleine’s fifth birthday. As we’ve continued to do since, we had a tea party at home, with balloons cake, cards, and presents. The presents go into Madeleine’s room to await her return. Her pink bedroom remains exactly as it was when she left it but it’s a lot busier now. There are gifts people have sent – from teddy bears to rosary beads – and photographs and pictures Sean and Amelie have drawn for her pinned on the walls.”
“She also has a keepsake box in which the twins leave little things for her: the last sweet in their packet, a new drawing, sometimes just a leaf that has taken their fancy. Everyone sits in there from time to time to feel close to her. The children sometimes borrow toys to play with for a while but they always return them for Madeleine,” Kate added.