First I should apologize for being duped into the whole scam. For those of you who have not heard, the Save Baby Myah Facebook page, fundraisers, everything, were scams. The mother, who has multiple aliases, started raising money shortly after Myah was born. There is a Myah, but she is a healthy little girl (which is great to hear). I want to apologize for the links that I posted for the different fundraisers, especially if any of you ended up giving money to this cause. I personally bought 2 diapers from the Hyena Cart page.
I don't know what upsets me more about this whole situation. I don't know if it is the thought of all the people who donated and prayed and tried to help this little girl. The stories I read of people trying to get donated colostrum to Myah because her bloodwork didn't look good. The WAHMs who donated time and supplies for fundraisers. Or is it the thought that this woman is actually raising this little girl. That someone could be so deceitful as to use a beautiful little girl to scam others. What good could she possibly have thought would come of this? What lessons did she think she could possibly teach Myah? This is how you lie, this is how you run a scam.
What also upsets me are some of the comments people have left on the news stories. People are so obsessed with their own problems that they can't seem to step out of their little box. One person went on about how "big buisness" scams us out of billions and nothing happens, this mother ONLY scammed us for about $10,000. She should only get a slap on the wrists and be sent on her way. SERIOUSLY! To me, this has nothing to do with the money itself. Obviously this didn't work out as well as she planned because she is still living off the state. What upsets me the most is how this is another drop in the "cup half empty" world we have been creating.
I remember when I would go to stores and there would be the boxes on the counters for you to donate to help a local family who had medical bills. Or there was a little boy with cancer. You didn't think twice about putting some spare change in the jar to help them out. Now, I feel like I don't know who to help. You want to try and help individuals because the bigger charities cannot reach everyone. How do you know who to help? Heck, even the Susan G. Koman foundation has started to get greedy. Sometimes it feels like it is harder to do a good deed.
There is something good from all of this. Myah's mother did direct people to the National Marrow Donor Program. I did get a kit, swabbed my cheek, and I am officially registered to be a donor. I believe there are many others out there who also signed up in the hopes of being a match for Myah. If you didn't sign up, I urge you to. Bone marrow is something that we countinue to produce, but we can also give to others. It doesn't involve major surgery and can save someone's life.
In closing, I want to again apologize for involving any of you in this scam. It isn't something that you could look up on Snopes, and the only reason we know of it now is because the police wanted to prevent people from donating to a fundraiser that was going to be held this past Tuesday. I know there are people who are in legitimate need for help, I just hope they can still get the help they need and scams like this don't deter too many people.
I am so sorry you got scammed by this, but I'm really glad you got something good out of it. I had no idea it was fake either. :( *hugs*
ReplyDeleteSad. There is STILL no proof that myah is not sick. People believe anything that the media prints, never verifying for themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhen the police have launched investigations, and have proof that Myah was never ill, then it isn't someone just believing anything the media prints. Anyone with commonsense knows to do research. But when numerous news outlets, along with reports from police come out, that tends to be pretty telling. I am sure Myahs' mother appreciates someone supporting her, but anyone who chooses to use their child in any manner for their own gain gets no support from me.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly repulsive to use your child like that. I am always so careful to not fake illnesses with any of my kids, because more often than not it comes true!! I wouldn't want to wish that kind of karma on them. Besides, I'm not a big fan of stealing either. :/
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your words here, and as someone who is close to the family and knows the heartache of this situation personally, I do want to comment here. Not everything put out by the DA and media is true. I personally can verify some of the facts put out as untrue. One example is that fundraiser that supposedly was to happen that caused the DA to come forward when he did...there was no fundraiser. There was a dinner planned between the mother, her husband and a couple they are friends with. You know, a friend having supper with a friend. This couple told investigators this and investigators either misunderstood or...well, I don't know. But the wife was very upset and called the detective on it. I cannot get in to other things that are untrue. Truth is I do not know if Myah is sick or not. I do not know how much is truth and how much is sloppy investigation and how much is untruth. There is a lot that is not fact that has been put out there. There really are more questions than answers. I pray that truth will prevail and we will all know what really happened. Most of all I pray that this sweet baby really is healthy! As horrible as that would be, meaning that it would be all true that the mother lied...a healthy baby would be such a blessing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. It appears that medical records were turned over, by the pediatrician, and show that Myah did not have leukemia. I am very thankful for this. It also appears that her mother did turn herself in. It just boggles my mind at how someone could even think to do something like this. It was so planned out, from having mothers online trying to get her breast milk so help Baby Myah. It isn't the money that hurts, it is the betrayal. As a friend, I would assume that Myah must have appeared to have been well taken care of, but this was such a selfish thing and I could never imagine stooping so low as to do this. We have been in very tight financial situations before, but to do this to so many people, especially your child, is unfathomable.
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