Only six months after a similar incident in Tucson, Arizona, authorities in Columbia, South Carolina report a statue of a child missing from their Cancer Survivors Plaza. Last week, a caste bronze of a little girl walking towards the "surviving cancer" portal in Maxcy Gregg Park was stolen. The statue is worth about $8,000.

In August, 2003, at Tucson's a related Cancer Survivor Plaza, the Skipping Boy statue -- merrily exiting on the far end of the misshapen cancer portal -- was hacked from its base and stolen. Though heavy and well-anchored, the statues are portable enough as moron vandal targets -- alternatives to local Nativity infant Jesi and Big Boy figures.

Cancer Survivor Plazas have spread unchecked in major cities across the US, appreciated by fans and survivors, but criticized by others as "hideous" mass-produced public "art."

Update: The statue of the little girl was recovered after an anonymous tip on January 23. [01/25/2004]

February 10, 2012