Once upon a time, there was a mommy blogger who wrote about her pregnancy. The mommy, Beccah, discovered her baby was terminally ill while she was still carrying baby April. Beccah chose to carry April to term, and delivered her at home on June 7. A few hours after the birth, the baby died.
A heartbreaking story, indeed. It could bring any mother to tears.
Too bad it was all a lie. Beccah Beushausen made the whole thing up.
I have so many mixed emotions about this. Anger that a person would play on the feelings of so many by concocting such an elaborate story. Sadness that this person pulled such a hoax…and for what reason? Attention? Money? To raise awareness? Why why why?
I’ve been a part of online communities long enough to know hoaxes like this happen, and perhaps I’ve become jaded. As much as I want to believe every sad story out there, I try not to let my emotions (and checkbook) become involved until I have some type of confirmation that I can believe. Maybe that makes me cold-hearted, but I do not like being taken advantage of, even if it is by an anonymous blogger. There are people I have met online whose lives I’ve become emotionally involved in…a woman beating breast cancer…a family whose son is fighting a rare disease…others who have hit hardships…losing a job, having every earthly possession stolen, caring for a parent in their twilight, moving cross-country, etc. And then there are others who are just living their every day normal lives, and allowing me to be a part of it.
Regarding Beccah Beushausen: despite my outrage and disgust for the situation, I feel compassion and forgiveness for her more than anything. Doing something so calculated and then apologizing profusely for it…well. I don’t think she’ll ever do anything like it again. I hope she will seek help if that’s what she needs. I hope she will be able to move on, learn from this incident, and hurt others no more.
Am I am allowing myself to be taken advantage of by not remaining cynical toward Beccah? Maybe. But I do believe there will be another hoax another day by another person…and I probably won’t be too surprised…
At first I thought it was a scam to get money. Now (admittedly, I haven’t done any research) it just seems like she is a sick person. And by sick, I really mean ill.
In the past year we have seen huge outpourings of love and cash and emotional support in our community. Some people just don’t understand that pity isn’t something to aim for.
It makes me sad.
For everybody.
I think it says a lot about you, about your character, that you feel this way towards her.
Clearly, a really twisted woman! We probably won’t ever know her real motivations for concocting this insane story. She could’ve even been doing this for a thesis about on-line communities, etc? We’ll never, ever know. What remains true, however, is that there are still kind, wonderful, heartfelt human beings out there in this world like you. It would truly be a shame if this woman changed that in any of us.
Shame on Beccah for taking advantage of our emotions, but rest assured that she will get her turn. Remember what they say about karma? It’s a b*&ch!