The situation was one that would draw most anyone in. When someone happened across or heard about the “April’s Mom” blog, they could not help but be fascinated and care for the writer. The woman was dedicated to giving birth to her terminally ill baby in spite of the fact that “April” would almost certainly die. The blog drew upwards of a million hits, and at one time was bringing in 100,000 views per month. The blog and the story were heartwrenching….until it became clear that it was all made up.
26 year old social worker Beccah Beushausen has come forward and admitted that the whole thing was a made up lie. That is, Beccah Beushausen came forward after bloggers became suspicious about a picture of a life like doll was put out there as a picture of little baby April. One blogger even recognized the doll as one just like one she owned. The hoax was quickly unraveled at that point.
What is amazing about this story is that people really invested their time and energy into trying to help this woman. She posted a PO Box, and people sent gifts, and letters of encouragement. The blog was a nightly stop for many that began to care about April and her mother.
Beushausen says that she simply got caught up in the web of lies, and that she found it hard to come out of it. That seems a little hard to swallow. Why start the lie in the first place? She is a social worker for God’s sake! How does a social worker find it okay to do something like this and bring so many people into it? The worst part of the whole thing is the fact that this will now drop an atom bomb on those that blog about real problems, and could probably use a hand or prayer.
Beccah Beushausen is as low as it gets. The fact that she is not going to be prosecuted is the final straw. She did not “profit” from the blog, and so can not be held accountable. What about the gifts, and so on? Were those not gotten under ill gotten means? My guess is that Beccah Beushausen was wanting attention and went about it any way she could get it.
April’s Mom was a blog that many people spent a great deal of time building up as well. There were damages here, regardless of what the law says. People spent hours upon hours building links and spreading the word for this blog to go viral that fast. Blogs do not just “happen” like that. They take work and time.
For some reason it seems as though there is more to the story. We will have to wait and see what happens in the long run, but for now this woman is not going to be prosecuted. What is the world coming to?
