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Melbourne parents' plea for stolen phone full of photos of their terminally ill baby.

 

Melbourne parents have made an emotional plea to find a missing phone full of photos of their terminally ill daughter.

Jay Windross posted a call out for any information on the phone’s whereabouts after his wife Dee accidentally left the Samsung Galaxy S8 with a purple phone cover behind in a toilet cubicle while she washed her hands in a bathroom at Melbourne’s Chadstone Shopping Centre on Saturday afternoon.

By the time they realised and went back for the phone less than a minute later, it was gone, along with hundreds of photos of the couple’s daughter Amiyah, who “is currently deteriorating in ICU and is in her last days.”

On Saturday evening, Windross shared an image of his 11-month-old daughter on Facebook, pleading with the public to help them find the phone that “holds all our memories of her.”

“We understand that you have either found a new phone to use, or you can sell it to make money, but please understand that this means more than money to us. This is worth life to us,” the father wrote of the stolen phone.

“We beg you as grieving parents not to wipe the phone. This phone holds the memories of what little life our daughter has had. If you want the phone, we’re more than happy to arrange to meet, we’ll copy the photos off the phone and you can keep the phone. What is on the phone is worth more than anything in our life.”

Speaking to 7News, Windross explained his daughter has spent 200 days of her 11-month life in hospital as an undiagnosed baby, meaning doctors haven’t yet been able to find a diagnosis for her multiple health conditions, but has deteriorated over the Easter long weekend.

With potentially just days left with their baby, Windross said they would “gladly offer a cash reward for the phone, no questions asked, no grudge held,” and would make the transaction “amicably and without intervention of the police.”

At the time of publishing, Windross’ Facebook post has been shared more than 91,000 times, with 11,000 comments offering money, support and assistance.

The couple are urging anyone who might have information of the phone’s whereasbouts to contact 0407527513, or to anonymously drop the phone off to reception at Monash Children’s Hospital or any information desk at Chadstone Shopping Centre.