Charity outraged by Castlebar hoax

Charity outraged by Castlebar ‘hoax’


Edwin McGreal

A WORLD-renowned charity is outraged at a hoax chain email which has been asking people to forward it on to their friends to enable a young Castlebar girl receive a lifesaving operation on a brain tumour.
The Make A Wish Foundation are reported in the mail to be donating seven cents for every mail forwarded to help with the lifesaving operation but when contacted by The Mayo News Make A Wish Ireland confirmed that it was a hoax.
“This has been going on for years in various forms,” said Susan O’Dwyer, Development and Fundraising Manager with Make A Wish Ireland. “We would never even contemplate sending a chain mail around. We have the greatest respect for the privacy and dignity of our children and their parents and this would violate all of that in the crudest of fashions.”
The mail has been flying around inboxes in Mayo and beyond in the last two weeks with many people reading the apparently tragic story of seven-year-old Amy Bruce who has, according to one version of the mail, ‘a large tumour on my brain and severe lung cancer’.
Prompted by the fact that forwarding a mail could help save a young girl’s life, the mail has been sent on by virtually all who received it. However it is something that is doing significant damage to the reputation of the Make A Wish Foundation.
“It really does paint us in a very bad light that we would be party to something as crude as asking a seven-year old girl to disclose her story to get money for an operation,” explains Susan O’Dwyer. “What we do is grant magical wishes for children. We granted 162 wishes last year but we rely on public donations and you can imagine the negative impact this has.
“The Amy Bruce email has been sent around several times in various difference countries and it is the last thing we need. We make an enormous difference to the child and to their family. We give them a moment that they might have to remember forever.”
Ms O’Dwyer added that Make A Wish have made efforts to trace the origin of the email but have been unsuccessful.

A version of the email
FW: Please forward
(she is a Castlebar 7yr old)

Hi, my name is Amy Bruce. I am 7 years old, and I have a large tumour on my brain and severe lung cancer. The doctors say I will die soon if this isn’t fixed, and my family can’t pay the bills.
‘The Make A Wish Foundation’ has agreed to donate 7 cents for every time this message is sent on. For those of you who send this along, I thank you so much. But for those who don’t send it, I will still pray for you. Please, if you are a kind person, have a heart.
Please, please,
PLEASE HIT THE FORWARD BUTTON
Thank You
Amy Bruce.