Blogger's claim to be pregnant with terminally ill child exposed as hoax... and 'baby' as a doll
View
comments
A woman who wrote a blog about being pregnant with a terminally-ill baby has apologised to nearly a million followers after it was exposed as a lie - and her baby as a doll.
Rebeccah Beushausen claimed she was an unmarried mother who chose to carry her terminally ill child, named April, to term rather than have an abortion because of her deep Christian faith.
Over two months, the 26-year-old captivated hundreds of thousands in the with news of her progress until a few of her followers grew suspicious after the 'birth.'
Rebeccah Beushausen claimed she was carrying a terminally ill child to term but her story was exposed as a lie
She was exposed as a fraud after some readers realised 'baby' April was actually a doll.
Now Beushausen, from Mokena, a suburb in Chicago, is apologising for the hoax, which has been branded 'sick' by followers.
She posted a lengthy apology on her blog on Sunday, saying she had lost several babies while pregnant in the past.
'I have suffered this type of loss, more than once, to varying degrees, and while the circumstances and the times vary ... the pain is very constant,' she wrote.
In the lengthy blog, Beushausen had said her baby was diagnosed with Trisomy 13 syndrome, a chromosomal defect that can cause severe mental retardation and death.
Followers promised to pray for her and her baby, April Rose, and sent letters and gifts to a post office box she listed online.
But when she wrote about the child's birth and posted photos last week, one reader recognized the baby as a life-like doll.
Jennifer McKinney followed Beushausen's blog and helped promote it. She said the apology did not include enough information to explain why Beushausen lied.
The blog detailing her feelings before it was removed from the internet
'To be honest, I think she is far from recognising the true gravity of the situation,' said McKinney, who writes a Christian blog that dealt with her own difficult pregnancy.
Beushausen's sister, Anna, said that the falsehood began before the blog and that her sister has dealt with a lot of pain in her life.
She said the blog, which she didn't learn about until last week, was a way for her sister to work through it.
'I do understand why people are mad, and so does she,' Anna said. 'I see pieces of her life in there. She is so remorseful, and she is in immense pain.'
In her online apology, Beushausen said she began writing the story as therapy but became addicted to the attention it generated.
She said she lied 'to a community of people whose only intention was to support me through this time and that is wrong, and for that I am sorrier than you could know.'
She insisted she really is a Christian – even quoting from Psalms in her apology – and said she had received some presents, including a baby hat, shoes and a crocheted blanket.
She said she would give them to charity but denied reports that she had been sent money.
Beushausen moved back to her family's home after her hoax was exposed.
Police are not investigating complaints, and it does not appear she profited in a substantial way from the blog.
She had made an agreement with an advertiser but was never paid because the advert was not up on her blog for the required 45 day minimum.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2BcoWScWtyZ3KhvKizxKuqZpuclrauec%2BrnKCmkaPBbsDEq6SippGhubp5yKWjZpuYnrmlecSxp6irlZl6qbvAsWRmmpGXxm6wzqWjZ6Ckork%3D