Victorian baby Catherine, abandoned and left in a cardboard box at a Melbourne hospital on mother's day is now residing in foster care after suffering from mild hypothermia.She is only 10 days old now but she has sparked the interest and charity of the Australian public. Newspapers and television reports have not prompted the mother to reveal herself, but someone else has.
Maurice Jacobson, a philanthropist Melbourne property developer nearly 90 years old, a grandfather and a great grandfather himself, has pledged a $300,000 apartment to the mother if she comes forward, and says she can have the home wherever she wants.
He says he would like to see the mother reunited with her child. Jacobson said Catherine's mother may have abandoned the baby in a fit of hopelessness. "No doubt she wouldn't have any assets or anything, nobody behind her, so if she knew she'll have somewhere to live and she can have her baby, well I think it would make a big difference and she'll have a decent life."
"I'm reasonably comfortable and I'm able to do something to help," stated Mr Jacobson adding "She looks so healthy... a gorgeous baby. The best place for Catherine is with her mother."
If she remained in hiding, Mr Jacobson said he would make a substantial donation to a trust fund to be established by the Victorian government and State Trustees to assist Catherine. Hospital officials had been inundated with cash and other donations, and the fund will allow this to contribute to Catherine's immediate and longer-term foster care.
11 comments:
wow thats good bribe her to take her baby.. what kind of mother will she be if she takes her baby just to get a free house.
Well at least she didn't have an abortion! At least she didn't kill the baby! At least she left the baby somewhere where she knew people would find her!!
Someone would have to be pretty desperate to be driven to do something like that so I don't think a "bribe" of sorts would necessarily make her come forward. My guess is the mother suffered from some sort of postpartum depression or even psychosis and is/was probably absolutely terrified of being that child's mother. I've seen it happen first hand and it's an awful awful thing. I actually hope that she DOESN'T come back for the baby until after she's got some help she so obviously needs.
shes probably someone that lives on the streets.. wheres the father...?
Not necessarily a street person. That's a kind of harsh judgement to make. Maybe she's a teenager or a 30 something business woman suffering from some postpartum disorder.
you could be right.
Isn't it a crime to leave a child abandoned? So when she comes to get her house, won't she be arrested?
Not if she's suffering from a mental disorder it's not a crime...at least not in Canada. Might be different in Australia.
Well Ive got to give the woman props for not killing the baby.. And I think its a TERRIBLE idea for him to offer her a place to live. Honestly I believe the woman has bigger issues that just nowhere to live so that would not be helping her or the child. I think that he should have put the money into an investment for the child if he wanted to do something.
And correct me if I am wrong but there are places set up in the US for a woman to "drop off" her baby where its checked all the time so the babies actually get care right away... soo wrong but way better than a dumpster
yes, but this is not a US case.
I think this is an amazing story and hopefully the ending is as bright as this elder see's it.
AC
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