April fools
It really was the beginning of April when I came upon the story of baby April Rose. After a devastating dual diagnosis of trisomy 13 and holoprosencephaly, her mom “B” blogged about carrying her to term. I emailed “B” once to point her in the direction of Livingwithtrisomy13, and offered her any help I could, under the impression that we lived in the same general area. “B” never responded to email – but with hundreds of comments for every blog post and hundreds (thousands?) of Twitter followers, I thought it unlikely that she would need my help, after all. This did not bother me in the least – I simply watched from afar, hoping for the best for the mom and baby April Rose.
Unfortunately, some were more deeply drawn into the story and invested lots of time, prayers, and possibly money/gift cards. As it turns out, “B” made up her story – April Rose was a child of her imagination. Pictures taken of her just after birth turned out to be a “reborn” doll (Avery, for those who are familiar with them). Many moms in the blogosphere are still reeling from the shock of having been fooled. Well, it is a shocking turn of events - and what an audacious endeavor, to fool so many.
Why? who knows. There are now several “big paper” stories about April Rose. Have a look and see if you can scry the mind of a woman who would do such a thing. What are the lessons? Hmm. Trust, but verify (thank you, Ronald Reagan). Another blogger – maybe several – have mentioned that no prayers are wasted. I believe this, too. For the record, I wish “B” the very best – I hope she can find whatever it is that she needs.
Here is a Fox News story about it all, which includes several links:
Blogger Admits Story of Terminally Ill Baby Is a Lie
