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Apr 13, 2009 10:59 pm US/Central
Woman Admits She's Not Sick After $100K Fundraiser
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
A woman on her death bed said she and her family were facing eviction. Texans poured out their sympathy and opened their wallets to help.
CBS 11 first reported on the story in February.
But now those people have learned it was all an act. Even her closest family members had no idea.
Hope Ybarra had piles of bills and pictures of her after chemo therapy. Friends and strangers alike showed their support.
"I met with Hope's parents and immediately began organizing fund raising," said fundraiser Kristen Courtney.
"I told my daughter," said Robert Hudson. "We donate anonymously."
But then, after the desperate pleas, after the quick move out of her house, after the outpouring of support to the tune of $100,000, came the most shocking news of all.
"I received a phone call from Hope's father that said, 'Whatever you do, don't spend any of the funds. Freeze everything. There's been a change in diagnosis, and we need to move in a different direction,'" said Courtney.
Ybarra was not dying of cancer after all.
"When I found out she wasn't, I was angry," said Hudson. "I was angry, and I've had a hard time dealing with that anger."
Ybarra's husband confirms she suffers from Munchausen Syndrome, a mental condition where people need to be seen as ill to get sympathy. They often undergo unnecessary medical treatments, and they often make the circumstances seem dire.
She claims that she was miraculously cured from cancer a few years before. Altogether, Ybarra had fooled friends and even her own family for eight years.
Her family sent out letters to donors saying they were confused and emotional. None of the money would be spent. Now they're sorting through records to send all of the money back.
"I really feel for Hope right now," said Courtney. "She's got a tough road to recovery. And if she needed prayers before, she really needs them now."
But far more difficult to return to donors is their investment of trust.
"I walked into the restaurant and saw the donation box on the counter where normally I would put my change in the box from the end of the day," said Hudson. "I wouldn't do it today."
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