John
05-18-2009, 06:41 PM
At an event on London's South Bank, the couple spoke of how they couldn't bear to meet other families in their situation in the weeks after Madeleine vanished from Praia du Luz in Portugal in 2007.
But they explained they now draw strength from sharing their experiences.
Mrs McCann said: "It's easy to meet families where the children have been found because that gives you hope.
"But, obviously, emotionally it is quite difficult to put yourself in a situation where a child has been missing for years and years. Obviously now it is easier, and I have to say it's been a comfort."
Her husband added: "Early on Kate and I couldn't even entertain the idea of speaking to another family whose child was still missing, particularly for a long time, because you think, 'I just hope we don't get there'."
The McCanns appeared alongside the relatives of Katrice Lee, who was two when she disappeared from a supermarket in Germany in November 1981.
Mr McCann explained that speaking to the Lee family had been especially helpful because of the similarity of their situations.
He said: "What they have gone through is very similar, and the whole experience is similar, particularly the barriers that they faced. And an abduction in a foreign country adds a different dimension to everything that you face."
The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, made a heartfelt plea for the public to keep thinking about missing children even after they slip out of the headlines.
The event also heard from ChildLine founder Esther Rantzen and experts who spoke of moves to improve information-sharing about missing children both within the UK and abroad.
The McCanns announced at the weekend they are suing Goncalo Amaral, who led the investigation into what happened to Madeleine for five months, before he was removed from the case.
International Missing Children's Day takes place on Monday, May 25.
But they explained they now draw strength from sharing their experiences.
Mrs McCann said: "It's easy to meet families where the children have been found because that gives you hope.
"But, obviously, emotionally it is quite difficult to put yourself in a situation where a child has been missing for years and years. Obviously now it is easier, and I have to say it's been a comfort."
Her husband added: "Early on Kate and I couldn't even entertain the idea of speaking to another family whose child was still missing, particularly for a long time, because you think, 'I just hope we don't get there'."
The McCanns appeared alongside the relatives of Katrice Lee, who was two when she disappeared from a supermarket in Germany in November 1981.
Mr McCann explained that speaking to the Lee family had been especially helpful because of the similarity of their situations.
He said: "What they have gone through is very similar, and the whole experience is similar, particularly the barriers that they faced. And an abduction in a foreign country adds a different dimension to everything that you face."
The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, made a heartfelt plea for the public to keep thinking about missing children even after they slip out of the headlines.
The event also heard from ChildLine founder Esther Rantzen and experts who spoke of moves to improve information-sharing about missing children both within the UK and abroad.
The McCanns announced at the weekend they are suing Goncalo Amaral, who led the investigation into what happened to Madeleine for five months, before he was removed from the case.
International Missing Children's Day takes place on Monday, May 25.