If there IS a God....

[steve_cronin]

and if you, my fellow seafarers, believe in Him, please pray that He might bring back joy and remove the totally dark despair which has come into the life of a very special doctor and his family, neighbours of very close friends of ours and who saved the life of this, your humble scribe, less than two years ago.

I fell off my bike, totally exhausted in June 2005, cycling back in an irrational hurry from the DIY store to Gouvia Marina in 34c and 78% humidity and had trouble in getting my breath for a good few minutes afterwards. I recovered quite soon but had a recurrence, needing a 999 ambulance five days after returning to the UK. I was stabilised and referred to the Glenfield General Hospital, University of Leicester Hospitals Trust, Rapid Response Chest Pain Unit, where I met Dr Gerry McCann for the first time. Over the months, quite apart from discovering that his early medical training had been in the same med. schools and hospitals as both my elder son James and his younger brother John, establishing a great rapport with this fantastically talented young consultant cardiologist, Gerry also worked out a strategy of tests and treatments for me which used a combination of the best of the NHS and private facilities available here in Leicester [which, incidentally, has, under Professor Anthony (Tony) Gershlick, the finest Cardiac treatment facility in the UK] My wife, Gill has the privilege of being a member of that trust.

This had the result that I, once a beer swilling, cheese addicted, overweight slob, have now lost 50lbs, reduced my BP from 190/112 to 127/72 and my "Bad" Cholesterol to 4.4 is now able to do 8km (equiv.) on an air rower ever day of the week in under 15 minutes. (when I was discharged, I struggled to get under 20 minutes, if I managed to finish 8km at all) I will now take on any one of you so long as you're 15 years younger than me!

In short, Gerry McCann and his colleague co-consultant, Gail Richardson, SAVED STEVE CRONIN'S LIFE!

It is for that reason, as I pack tonight to go out to Greece at 8am that I ask every forumite, even if, like me they have never been to Portugal, to think back in their lives to try to recall ANY possible instance of strange goings-on ANYWHERE that might have even the slightest indication of any link to the events in Algarve which might be even the slightest bit relevant.

Watching television news broadcasts, you can all see what this tragedy is doing to Gerry and Kate - herself a hard-working GP to the residents (what a "comfortable " word!) of Melton Mowbray. To anyone who has had the privilege of meeting either one of them, this is OH, SO DESPERATELY AND STARKLY, more evident..

Many years ago an employee of an old friend of mine got arrested, for possessing a collection of "Snuff" movies. On recollection, my friend actually recalled instances which , in retrospect indicated a leaning towards possible perversion and these were used in the subsequent prosecution.

ANYTHING can be relevant and is worth passing on, no matter how seemingly insignificant. That is the stage we are currently at. If you know ANYTHING, you cannot possibly justify holding it back.

I have two sons of whom I am exceedingly proud and who I am sure will make as good doctors as Gerry Mc Cann in years to come but secretly, I have always yearned for a little ("Daddy I love you") daughter.

PLEASE, PLEASE, if you have even the slightest feeling that anything you know or have seen could possibly bring Gerry & Kate's little angel back to them,. PLEASE let Leicestershire Police know NOW on (0044) 116 222 2222 or www.leics.police.uk/contact/

Thank you

Steve Cronin

 

[samwise]

Steve

After reading your post, my bitch about antifoul prices seems pretty small beer. I hope your plea draws some positive responses.

 

[SeaVenture]

I will definitely pray--and certainly the Lord knows what I'm asking for even if I don't. I'm assuming it's a case of kidnapping?
Blessings,
Normandie

 

[chevey]

[ QUOTE ]
I will definitely pray--and certainly the Lord knows what I'm asking for even if I don't. I'm assuming it's a case of kidnapping?
Blessings,
Normandie

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes it is
Its the ones that left the kids in the apartment to go out for a meal.
My thoughts are with the children and i pray that they are well

 

[theguvnor]

M y heart goes out to the parents

What concerns me is what if they were chavs from Essex?

Would the press be as supportive ?

A single parent fron Moss Side would be crucified by the Red Tops - but a not middle class "perfect" family unit

 

[landyhubbard]

Thanks Steve. I too am praying for them. I just hope that the two previous posters reflect on how mean-spirited and stupid their remarks are. Shame on you both.

 

[reginaldon]

And I thought most of the posters were atheists or agnostic at least, thank God they're not.
Agreed Steve I am making it a matter of prayer, it can change things.

And Theguvnor each child is of limitless value.

 

[Liz_I]

HOW CAN ANYONE, who is human, stand in judgement. Our prayers go out to these parents. One cannot imagine what the pain must feel like. Lets us all pray that little Maddie is found soon.

 

[ean_p]

I don't know what I'm feeling here, but why is it we don't have this level of responce for the millions of parents who have to stand and watch their kids starve to death slowly or watch some easily and cheaply cured disese rot their equally loved equally cherished child away. This goes on day after day, week after week, year after year , thousands upon thousands of times a day with hardly a comment from us and I'm sure that all of these kids are loved and their passing bitterly felt. Maybe the more so knowing that nourishment or medicine was just a couple of uncaring hours flight away .......... maybe its just too much for us to contemplate in any real way.

 

[roly_voya]

Yes I also felt conected to this tradgardy because I was in Lagos Marina the week before (came back to UK on the 2and) but I didn't see anything that might help. When I reasiled this it did make it more than just another sad story on the six o'clock news. It does remind me though that all of us here are, on a global scale, incredably privilaged to be able to contemplate our verious voyages or even to think in terms of being 'leisue sailors' when so many people are thinking in terms of basic food, shelter, security, medicines etc.
I am not going to sell the boat and donate the proceeds to a third world charity but perhaps we should take a moment to think about how in our voyaging we might be able to help people in the countries we visit?
I felt conected to this event because I had been there. Thats the piont about sailing, you go out into the world and you get connected to it in a way that doesn't happen when you see it on TV or even when you fly out somewhere for a holiday. When I flew to the algarve there was no sense of 'traveling', the plane did not connect me to portugal in the way I would have been if I had sailed there. Perhaps this is why, untill I saw this on the forum, I had not made the conection that this had all happend only a couple of miles from where I had been.
I was struck looking around the algarve at how insulated the 'tourist strip' is from the rest of portugal. Its not that Portugal is a desperatly poor county just that there is this strip along the coast which is all holiday vilas, golf courses etc, very much a land of make-believe. Drive 20 miles inland and you could be driving on dirt tracks and finding hilsides covered with wild azalias, tiny rural farm, orange groves, eucaliptus and cork forest.
Reading acounts of the pioneers of cruising it was very evident that they saw the 'real' countries they visited. Mostly there was not 'tourist developmet' they either anchored or visited fishing and working habours. Now in lots of places we see marinas, visit 'attractions' see 'local' festivals and all the other stuff that has been developed as part of the tourist industry not the 'real' country as the locals experience it. In practice for lots of places 'tourists' are the new cash crop.
Perhaps this will remind us that the world is not always a bed of roses and to look behind the facard that is presented to us not just to see what's going on but to see if we can perhaps do a bit to make life better, even if it is only to remember not to complain if the don't get the coffee quite the way we like it! We are a skilled and resourceful lot maby we should be able to do than just pray for the world to be a better place.