April Rose Blog Scam

I have found the blog world to be a very popular place for moms. Even more so for stay-at- home moms. A blog is a great way to chronicle the experiences of a pregnancy, and also to share pictures and funny stories of your little ones as they grow. With a blog, it is easy to connect with other mothers, to become friends, and to regularly read each other's blogs. I personally have found some great friends and support simply through my blog.

Moms can become very emotionally attached to the families in the blogs they read. If a child is sick, they worry and pray, even if they have never actually met in person. They may even send money or gifts to a mother who is hurting. Support from the blog world can be amazing! I've seen this first hand in two very popular blogs written by young mothers that I read. One, titled My Charming Kids, and the other Bring the Rain. Both mothers have experienced hardship. Angie from Bring the Rain lost her daughter Audrey Caroline shortly after she was born. Jennifer from My Charming Kids was told that her youngest son, Stellan, would not be born alive due to a heart condition. He miraculously was born seemingly healthy, only to have his heart condition reappear when he was 4 months old. Little Stellan has been in the hospital a great deal, and even had an unsuccessful surgery to fix his heart. He may need more surgery or a pacemaker in the future.

Both Angie and Jennifer have received tremendous support from their blog followers. Now, what if someone saw the support and attention that they were receiving, and decided they wanted some of that for themselves? What if someone fabricated a story about being pregnant and being given a grim outlook for the baby's survival, just for attention? What if someone even named this fictional baby, and started a blog full of lies about anxiously awaiting this baby's arrival, and pretending to pray fervently that the baby would survive? This actually happened in the blog about April Rose.

Beccah Beushausen was the women behind the lies in the April Rose blog. She had created quite a following for herself in her fake blog. The problem was, everyone believed her story and really thought she was pregnant with a baby girl. Her writing was very well done, and her intricate web of lies and stories was just incredible. People prayed for her and baby April Rose, sent handmade blankets and other gifts for mom and baby. People wrote the name April Rose in the sand and even wore pink to remember her.

When Beccah's story called for the baby to be born, the lies continued. She led everyone to believe that April Rose was born, lived for a short time, and then died. Beccah even went as far as to take pictures of a doll, that was supposed to be this baby girl. This became her undoing when a blog reader, who happened to have the exact same doll, saw the photo and knew immediately that everything was fake. Beccah was exposed and tried to delete her blog, Facebook account, and anything else that would lead people to her. It was too late. She had been found out, and her lies were brought forward.

Beccah did admit to all the lies she told. She is mentally ill, and based a lot of her writing in the blog on her actual feelings from a few years ago when she really did lose a baby boy. So many blog readers are taken aback, and will be much more cautious in trusting the stories in the blogs they read.