Woman Fakes Cancer For 14 Months As Friends Shave Heads, Get Tattoos, And Raise $5,000

A California woman says that she wasn’t getting the unconditional love and support she desired from friends and family, so she faked having cancer so that others would pay attention to her. Meaghan Hudson, 25, admits to lying for over a year to her friends, family, and community about being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer which forms in the bone marrow, which is usually fatal. At one point, Meaghan even told those close to her that she had less than a year to live. However, with the cat out of the bag now, Meaghan is being charged with grand theft and fraud for taking over $5,000 worth of fundraiser money to pay for medical bills.

A 25-year-old woman from Chula Vista, California was charged with grand theft and fraud after she faked cancer and took over $5,000 worth of fundraising money. Meaghan Hudson went on the Dr. Phil Show to discuss why she lied to the ones she loved for nearly 14 months. Meaghan claims that she wasn’t getting the feeling of unconditional love and support she wanted from those close to her, so decided to give them a reason to support her.

“I think, one day, I was in a very dark place and I didn’t feel like I had that unconditional love or support, and I wanted it. The thought process was just that I wanted someone to pay attention.”

Meaghan claims that initially, she just told her stepmother and father the fake cancer news, but then told a few close friends. Before she knew it, the word had spread and she felt like there was no way to back out of the lie. However, Dr. Phil disagrees and says that if she truly wanted to end the devastation she was causing for friends and family who thought she only had a year to live, she could have created a lie to back out of the lie.

“This was something that was premeditated, and you sustained this lie in stages over 14 months. You could have lied your way out of the lie.”

Ultimately, Meaghan sat back and continued her lie of being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that is often fatal. She would lie about doctor’s appointments and even allowed close friends to shave their heads and get matching tattoos in support of her cancer battle. A fundraiser was setup to help cover doctor’s bills which raised $5,000, which Meaghan accepted.

Police eventually received an anonymous tip that claimed Meaghan was lying about her cancer diagnosis. Upon investigation, Meaghan admitted to the lie and now her embarrassed family is left picking up the pieces. Following the revelation that their daughter was not dying, the family emailed all those who had donated to Meaghan’s medical fund to tell them the news and to promise repayment of all donations.

In the process of discovering their daughter had lied about a cancer diagnosis, the family also learned that Meaghan may have been a habitual liar. Meaghan had lied about attending San Diego State University as she had told her parents and did not have a nursing degree or license as she claimed.

What do you think is a proper punishment for the woman who faked cancer to get sympathy from her friends and family?

[Image Credit: Facebook/ Give Forward Fundraiser]