Does desperation truly drive people to extreme measures - How Terrrible
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
United States
October 1, 2010 5:46pm CST
Oh my God, I could not believe my eyes, as I read the news a woman literally pretends her healthy 12 year old son has cancer to get caring people to donate money. She is being accused of drugging her son, no less, goes as far as to shave his head every other week, shave the eyebrows, and at worst thing of all, to crushing up drugs to put in his applesauce to make him appear lethargic.
The boy after being tested by the hospital is cancer-free, although he was going through opiate withdrawal, due to his mother over-drugging him. Supposedly she convince her son that he had leukemia. This woman collected from the church well over $7,500.00, money from caring people and countless video games.
Get this after the child was remove from her home by authorities, she had told the church and caring people that he died and that she needed money for his funeral and burial expenses. Where as people were still donating money to her.
According to the officials she used the money to pay for everyday expenses like car note, rent and food. She did not have a history of drugs and or gambling debts or major debts. This is outrageous and find that we as caring people just do not know when we are being told the truth anymore and therefore, we are not apt to helping really needy people.
Are people just becoming so greedy that they are scamming for money and yet never see it as a bad thing?
9 people like this
14 responses
@GardenGerty (169479)
• United States
2 Oct 10
It is unfortunate, but there are people who seem to have no conscience at all. If they think they can get away with a crime, they will do it. I just do not know what she was thinking. Eventually it had to come out. Does the news article say how she was discovered? If her son believed he was ill, he surely did not spill the beans so to speak. Yes, this hardens the hearts of compassionate people. You are working like crazy to pay your bills and so are thousands of other people.
1 person likes this
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
2 Oct 10
Hardworkinggirl-
Are you familiar with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy?
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/factitious_disorders/hic_munchausen_syndrome_by_proxy.aspx
It is a mental health disorder in which the person suffering from the disorder views the person/persons she or he is caring for as sick or with a mental health disorder. Contrary to popular belief these people do not do this to gain monies, etc. The article through the Cleveland Clinic explains the disorder better than I can, but I feel for all involved where this disorder is concerned. It not only hurts the one with the disorder but all those around them. Have you seen the movie The Sixth Sense? The one mother who killed her daughter was suffering from this mental disorder. It's very sad indeed.
Namaste-Anora
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
2 Oct 10
Do you mind providing the article so I can research it as well?
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
2 Oct 10
As far as being without monies from unemployment it can result in homelessness. I wish more people who earn a nice living would take a few weeks to live on what the majority of the society live on who can barely put food on the table let alone create a savings. It is not always that easy for people, Hardworkinggirl. And I doubt very much most people can earn online through sites such as this what they made at a full time job. (Except those who panhandle online using PayPal). I seriously believe this woman more than likely was mentally ill.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
2 Oct 10
I agree it takes a major loss to truly understand how we the regular society members live and strive to survive.
Yeah, although I do okay for myself with online earnings, but believe me I work my tootsies off, it certainly not a get rich and or living securely that is why I have been doing other things as well in the interim so that I can survive, alongside getting back to my off-line career. Earning online is a supplement per say to buy food, pay a small amount of bills and definitely have gas to get to my independent contracting jigs. We have to do what we have to do to survive. It certainly will not suffice but one can not sit around drumming up scams and or hoping that they can take the easy road.
The article is all over the net, where I first got wind of it was while listening to the news on TV in the background while working online. It caught my attention as it was so close to home. So I went to my comcast and was able to view the news there.
Here is the link where I read it and I know when I visited my yahoo it was there also on the front news
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20101001/US.Cancer.Scam/
All I hope is that the child gets the help now he needs as this for sure will impact his future as he was made to be bleive by his mother that he actually he had leukemia
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
30 Jul 11
Personally it is Sad but you never know what people will stoop to these days to get money and help. Then there are people like me who could really use some Extra $$ or help and cannot get anything. My husband and I have been able get some help from Foodbanks and such, but that is it. We have fallen way behind on bills, etc. and it would be nice to get help from somewhere, but we could never lie to someone like this. And since it is nothing overly serious like Cancer not sure there is much help out there anyways.
But I have heard of a lot of people especially Moms stooping to things like this to make ends meet. It makes me wonder where their conscience is and how they continue to get away with things like this until caught. Don't agencies and Churches offering to help them look into this more?
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
25 Oct 11
Although during the court proceedings it was not known if she was mentally unbalanced, I too could not help but think that something there was not quite right.
It is/was so inhumane on how she treated this child our of greed. Gosh her own child who can believe this if it were not so true. 
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
20 Oct 10
I personally think it's something that is in the individual from the start and that when someone changes it's a true reflection of their character, obviously people change and circumstances can change making people act differently but still I do believe will power over comes some of these dark demons and some have them inside to start with.
Did you hear about the women in the UK that placed a cat inside a green wheelie bin?
She claimed that it was down to this and that, whilst her depressive side took over but it's often an excuse in my opinion. People just don't do things unless they have issues and I'm not trying to sound harsh the type of people who have slight problems. That's the issue with people who are truly evil inside :(
People often don't see greed, that's something that people tend to block out from my experiences.
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
20 Oct 10
This scenario seems to be fairly common with parents pretending their child is ill for a pay day. It's really sick :(
Why people put a price on people lives or do things like this beyond me.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
3 Oct 10
Yes I do too, I usually ask God to protect the children in this situation,as my fear is the danger they are put in and well the bad example the parents are leading. So all I can offer is my prayer for them.
@CTHanum (8233)
• Malaysia
20 Oct 10
oh my god.what a bad bad woman!
i can even called her as a 'mom' because she did not deserved it.
she was cruel to herself and her innocent son.
how could she do that to her own son??
she did not have to do so even if she's desperate to have a money.
i am agree that the desperation will drive people to be more creative to do the crimes.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
20 Oct 10
Unfortunately stingy people like this give all good needy people a loss of receiving actual needed help.
Had she gone to her community and or Church and conveyed her need, well maybe they could not have helped her with her mortgage but hey we all lose but guess what all us honest people that lose because of finance still have the respect and love from our community and children. Now she is battling a court case, potential loss of her son by the courts, and her respect.
This is truly sad as sometimes we shy away from helping the truly needed because of people like her.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
25 Oct 11
What I remember back is that she had absolutely no remorse, she couldn't even use the plea of insanity and or mental health issues. It is simply a case of terrible selfishness, although I can't help but think she is whacky though.
Yes at some point in her life she will someday recall what she has done, sadly the child is the one who will be scarred by all of this.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
26 Oct 11
Just a really bad situation, one that she caused on for herself.
@cripfemme (7698)
• United States
5 Oct 10
This is awful. There is a disease called munchausen by proxy. It's where parents or caregivers pretend that their charges are ill to get attention. Is that what this women had?
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
5 Oct 10
I have been following the story and to date no such depression and or illness has ever been discovered form this woman. I am following it becasue it is so close to home and I just can't imagine a person feeling so desperate that they would utilize their child in this ill mannered.
I pray every day the child recovers and is able to proceed in life without any form of scarring that his mother just imposed on him. Very sad indeed.
@jazel_juan (15745)
• Philippines
2 Oct 10
it is reality. people go through extremes so they could survive. ;( sad but it happens.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
2 Oct 10
Yes the more I read responses the more I am understanding that we just can't control the behavior of others but for our own. So I will continue to rely on thoughts and work hard and pray that my desperation never gets that large.
@millertime (1394)
• United States
3 Oct 10
What a disgusting human being. I don't understand why she isn't in jail already but she should be locked up. Then, if they ever let her out, it should be conditional upon her release that she be sterilized so she can't have any more kids and certainly never get her son back. She should be required to pay back all the money, with interest.
Does that sound hard? Sorry, I have no tolerance for people who behave this way. What she did isn't just child abuse or exploitation, it's torture. And to do it to her own son is just despicable. She is the worst kind of human being there is, in fact, I should say sub-human because she doesn't qualify to be in the human race.
You are right when you talk about people not being as quick to help someone nowadays, because one never knows for sure if they are helping someone truly in need or just throwing money away on some scammer. I quit donating to anything that I don't know for sure is a legitimate charity. I'm much more cynical than I used to be when it comes to charity and that bothers me, but in this day and age, it's much more prudent.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
4 Oct 10
People like this woman destroy all our hopes of caring nature. It is quite difficult to be sympathetic with someone like this as when she got caught she continued her charade. My though is why on earth did she not reach out to her family, community and here church for some form of assistance instead of reaching out with the outlandish cruelty.
Are people becoming just to proud to ask for help that they need to hurt others in the process. I sure hope she can make amends with God, her child and herself. I understand her bond is was set at $100,000 dollars. I would imagine restitution, court fines and penalties will completely destroy her as from what I read on the news she is flat broke. My thinking is that I would beg as hard as I had to if it meant my child would not be able to eat and or resorted to losing all assets but hurt my child, never would have been an option. I am interested in following this story very much as the US justice system is not so great here as the wrong with money get freed quite easily and looked at oh poor dear. The needy in desperation, poor with no money get the harshest punishment. I am not sure where she falls into all of this so I will be watching out for the ending of this despicable story.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
2 Oct 10
We must always have hope and faith in our lives and never ever resort to hurting others especially out of greed. I hope she can find peace and do the right thing from here on in.
@bounce58 (17380)
• Canada
5 Oct 10
That's horrible!
I know that people are do crazy things when they are desperate, but this is just wrong. A line has been crossed. As a human being there are things that shouldn't be crossed, like forsaking the health and welfare of your own son.
This person is an unfit parent, no question.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
6 Oct 10
It is utterly bizarre to hear such news like this. We as humans must always do our best to protect our children and never allow harm, especially as a mommy we should never impose it upon them.
You are right when you say she does not deserve to be a parent, although I have not heard any mention of mental instability so therefor, I can only surmise that she is a cruel person int total and she has to make amends with God as children ore ours and Gods priority.
@johney264 (544)
• China
2 Oct 10
Very normal in my country this kind of thing. many teams in the city: in the city's busy streets your will often see that a small girl just a child who was kneeling on the ground, in the front of her written words: I have traved the city with my teacher and classmate but I don't know why I lost them can't find the team. but I have no money, I want back home now, please charity to me 34.7 RMB by train fee. lots of people charity around her. when a journalist come here want sent her back home together, and report to police. The girl get up run away without more words. Then the journalist know its her job, on the street have lots of beger made up a beger team, at night living together or go to a bar.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
2 Oct 10
This behavior makes it difficult for us to determine true need. I rely on God to guide me when I give then he will handle how it is to be used.
@jypsyjulia (912)
• United States
9 Oct 10
WOW. I think I heard something about that. That's so awful. It is really ridiculous how far some people will go just to earn a little cash. That's ridiculous, how anyone could do that to their own child is just beyond me. I am seriously in ... I don't know the word? I am speechless, I guess.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
9 Oct 10
It is one thing to be so cruel to scam people and the church no less, but to have dragged her poor son into this is awful. My first thought was why would she do this, but further why did she not just use herself instead of her child.
Ugh.. It is because people like her that shunts others from truly helping people in need as we just do not know if stories are legit anymore and or if people are just out to scam. She should have been honest with the people and her church, maybe they would not have immediately dished out money but she certainly would have had some alternatives, mean yes we all have bill problems and many lose their homes in the process, this woman perhaps would have also but she certainly would have had the respect and perhaps people would have given her a place to stay with her child and or provided food. But no, she wanted to have all of it, sometimes we no matter how hard we work just cannot cut it. But at the end of the day we do not hurt our children we do everything in our power and means to keep them safe.
