Parents caught faking son's cancer to meet NCAA football team
We’re barely four months into the year and we already have our winners for 2018’s Sickest Sports Fans Award.
Martin and Jolene LaFrance of upstate New York allegedly made up a story that their child had cancer in order to get about $3,000 in donations for his fictional recovery and an opportunity to be special guests of the Syracuse University football team, according to Syracuse.com.
The Orange agreed to host the couple, their son and other family members during a practice last August.
The child, then 9 years old, got to meet head coach Dino Babers, play catch with wideout Erv Philips, receive throwing tips from quarterback Eric Dungey and stand in the middle of the huddle when the team broke down practice.
“It was a 10-out-of-10 night,” the boy’s uncle, Justin Roe, told Syracuse.com at the time. “The staff is just so amazing, especially with it being the second practice (of preseason camp). Just taking the time, every coach in the middle of doing drills, to come over and chat with him. It blew my expectations away.”
The report said it had been a “difficult year” for the boy, “who was diagnosed with Hogkin’s lymphoma in January and recently had his diagnosis upped to Stage 3 lymphoma. He’s already undergone a full round of radiation, is about a month into three-per-week chemotherapy sessions and has had multiple lymph nodes removed via surgery.”
After a four-month investigation, however, the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office “conclusively” determined that the child had never been diagnosed with cancer.
https://twitter.com/BillsBabes_nBTC/status/993871876685524992
The LaFrances were charged Friday with scheming to defraud and endangering the welfare of a child.
Investigators found the couple received about $3,000 in donations through a GoFundMe page, which apparently has been deleted.
Syracuse.com noted that an archive of the page from Aug. 30, 2017, shows $3,334 in donations.
The archive indicates the page was created by Misty David Taylor, a medical professional from Port Byron, where the LaFrances live.
“I am starting this Go Fund Me to help a deserving family going through something no family should ever have to deal with,” the GoFundMe appeal reads. “The LaFrance family recently found out their son … has cancer. [He] was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma initially, if that isn’t bad enough they were just given the news that he has a malignant tumor in his abdomen, & gastroperisis. [The boy] has to go to the children’s hospital several times a week for treatments which has forced both Jolene and Marty to take a leave of absence from work. They have been out of work since March leaving them with no income. Any funds raised will go towards medical expenses, gas for travel, and anything else related to this difficult time!”
This is as brutal as it gets when talking about frauds ! Absolutely sickening! Couple faked son's cancer, visited Syracuse – via @ESPN App https://t.co/NhVNe2v1v4
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) May 8, 2018
In comments on the page, Martin LaFrance wrote, “I am truly humbled and at a lost for words, thank you all from the bottom of my heart, your generosity and compassion are simply amazing and overwhelming.”
He and his wife are scheduled to appear in court May 16 to be arraigned.
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