Today is Madeleine McCann’s 10th birthday. She’s now been away from her mummy & daddy for 6 years.

When Madeleine originally went missing, her story was compelling and desperately sad. Now, as a mummy myself, it’s utterly terrifying. It’s simply inconceivable to imagine just how devastated Gerry and Kate must be. Every time I see them on the television bravely appealing to the public for help, I get a knot in my stomach. Of course, I don’t know the McCann’s personally, but there’s something so heartbreaking about their appearance. Their eyes are full of tragedy, pain and exhaustion. I can’t say for certain this isn’t the way they have always looked, but it’s hard not to attribute it to the loss of Maddie.

The story has additional resonance for me because I’ve been to Praia Da Luz in Portugal. I stayed in exactly the same apartment complex (The Ocean Club Apartments) that Maddie went missing from on May 3 2007. I slept a matter of metres away from where the tragedy took place. I swam in the same pool that she did. I ate (and had a few underage sneaky cocktails) in the bar her parents were dining in. I know firsthand just how short the distance is from where her mum and dad sat with their friends, to where she lay peacefully sleeping. It’s terrifying to think she was so close to them, yet still somehow vanished without trace.

With the breaking news last week that Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus from Cleveland America were found alive after ten years in captivity, it raises thoughts of hope and faith. Although these girls suffered a horrifying ordeal at the hands of Ariel Castro, they are now reunited with their families, and sleeping once again under the same roof as their parents. This is the very least every single child deserves - to be safe and surrounded by people that love them. To think of the sheer terror Maddie must have experienced on that fateful night; The fear and confusion of being taken away from mummy & daddy - it’s too sad to even contemplate. No child deserves that.

The story of a missing child is so utterly sad. There are so many questions that Gerry and Kate might as well be shouting into the wind. They won’t ever stop asking them, but there is no one to answer them. Did Maddie wander off and injure herself? Was she spirited off by someone? Worse still, is she still alive? Every scenario is frightening. Every scenario is grief-inducing for Gerry and Kate. Even if they were to be reunited tomorrow, they have still been denied access to so much of Maddie’s childhood. And if she’s indeed not with us anymore, Gerry and Kate need to know so they can grieve for their daughter. Not knowing is the worst thing imaginable.

As with all missing children, we’ve all heard the desperate ‘Someone knows’ line. The saddest thing of all just might be that in fact, no one does. But we can’t simply give up. There are two fellow parents locked in paralysis and having to be strong and brave for their other children. No one would wish for them to live another second stuck in this way. They deserve to know the truth about the little girl they loved so much.

Tragically, Madeleine is just one high-profile missing child. There are hundreds of other families in the UK facing the same nightmare. There are thousands worldwide. It certainly makes you think.

If you have any information at all surrounding Madeleine’s case, no matter how inconsequential, then please contact you local police station or call the Madeleine investigation line on +44 845 838 4699. You can also email investigation@findmadeleine.com.

Finally, for more information on Maddie’s case - please visit www.findmadeleine.com

This post is one of many you might stumble across concerning Madeleine’s story today. #Blogging4Madeleine is a campaign brought to you by A Mummy’s View, and hosted by Britmums (click on the badge below for more information). The idea is to blog, tweet, and share Maddie’s story and show that we (as parents) will never give up on a missing child. If I was ever to lose Dexter, I’d want for everyone on the planet to be calling out his name - so this one is for you Maddie. I hope you are safe and will find your way home.