May 12th will be Madeleine McCann’s sixth birthday, and it is also two years this month since her disappearance from the family’s holiday apartment in Portugal.
To mark this milestone, and to bring to the attention of the public a computer-enhanced image of how Madeleine may now look, the McCanns did their first public interview in the US, an emotional conversation with a visibly moved Oprah Winfrey.
Helplessness, disbelief and terror
were some of the words Kate McCann used to describe the indescribable, the long, dark night of her child’s abduction, and, in a terrible way for this brittle, distraught woman, it seems the sun has yet to rise.
Oprah focused her questions on Kate, hopefully puncturing any residual suspicion from a mistrustful public that she played any part in her child’s disappearance. It was almost unbearably painful to watch her being dragged back over the nightmare.
Asked about their marriage in the wake of these tragic events, Gerry McCann spoke of the support the couple had received from their extended family and of their unflinching determination to remain focused on finding Maddie. There is no law-enforcement agency in any country looking for Madeleine, stated Kate McCann, so “it is up to us”. There are days, she added, when she just wants to be in a coma until it’s all over, to relieve the pain.
Oprah finished this harrowing encounter with gentle thanks to the McCanns and with this address: www.findmadeleine.com