UK FAMILY PLEADS FOR RETURN OF STOLEN COMPUTER icHuddersfield - Please return our memories of Maddison

Please return our memories of Maddison

Nov 6 2007

by Andrew Hirst, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A FAMILY has today made a heartfelt plea to thieves: Please give us back our memories. Hundreds of pictures on a laptop computer stolen from a house in Beaumont Park chronicle 21-month-old Maddison Wright’s battle against a life-threatening illness. She underwent a life-saving bowel and liver transplant in March – and her future remains uncertain with operations at such a young age having only a 50% success rate. Now her family are desperate for the photographs to be returned. Maddison lives with parents Nigel and Rachel Wright and three young brothers at the family home on Butternab Road.

The boys are three-year-old Austin, six-year-old Harrison and seven-year-old Franklin.

Burglars broke in last Friday and stole two laptops along with a camcorder.

All the digital photographs were on one of the laptops – and Nigel has urged the thieves to at least burn them on to discs and send them to the police or the Examiner.

“We need these photographs,’’ he said. “If we ever lost Maddison we would have them to share with her brothers who are now so young. Over the last 21 months we have taken every chance to capture images of Maddison with her brothers. If she survives, we’ll be able to show her in the future how ill she was when she was so young.’’

Within 30 hours of being born Maddison was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary for a specialist operation to remove her small intestine.

At first she improved, but then her condition started to worsen and surgeons realised she needed a liver and bowel transplant.

The biggest challenge was finding a donor at such a young age – and many die before one is found.

Maddison’s health was deteriorating rapidly and she had become a yellow and green colour.

“When she cried even her tears were yellow,’’ said Nigel. “And she slept most of the day.’’

Birmingham Children’s Hospital is the only one in the country that can do such a highly specialised operation, but even then of the 44 they have performed over the last 20 years, only 22 patients have survived long-term.

While Maddison was recovering after her operation, Nigel and Rachel saw how dramatically and tragically things can change.

Nigel, 39, said: “One 14-year-old boy had undergone a liver and bowel transplant and was riding a bike up and down such was his initial recovery.

“But his condition suddenly deteriorated and he was moved to intensive care. Within 24 hours he had passed away.

“Doctors have told us that Maddison won’t be through the worst for the next two or three years and she will be five before we start to know about her long-term future.’’

The laptop or the pictures can be sent to the newsdesk at the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.