Former Friends Say Atlanta Woman's Fight Against Terminal Cancer Was Hoax

Credit: YouCaring

Several former friends of an Atlanta woman who said she was suffering from terminal brain cancer now suspect the whole thing was an elaborate hoax.

CBS Atlanta reports that Erin Talpey’s bald head and medicine port fooled her friends, who set up an online fundraiser to help a person they believed only had three to six months left to live when she was first diagnosed eight years ago. Through their efforts, they raised between $18,000 and $19,000 for Talpey, the station says.

Talpey went to Arizona recently for what her friends thought was more treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, CBS Atlanta said, but things didn’t quite add up. The first red flag, the station says, was Talpey’s refusal to accept gifts at her room at the Mayo Clinic, instead insisting any gifts be left for her in Atlanta.

Next, Talpey’s friends called the Mayo Clinic to check on her. The world-renowned hospital responded that they had no records of Talpey ever visiting their facility, according to CBS Atlanta.

According to CBS Atlanta, the kicker was a text message Talpey sent to a friend which was location stamped near Sedona, which is several hours away from Phoenix.

On Dec. 1, Talpey’s friends pulled the plug on their YouCaring fundraiser for her, after it had generated $14,725. Comments left on the fundraiser’s page since the allegations surfaced called Talpey an “abomination” and demanded that the money be refunded to the donors.

Talpey has not responded to requests for comment, and a police report has been filed, CBS Atlanta says.