Chelsea asked me to post the following on her behalf.
I have been staring at a blank page for close to an hour and it has yet to become any easier for me to write what I know I have to.
I have tried to type this out in dozens of different ways and come to the conclusion that there won’t ever be a way to say it perfectly. It just has to be said period. I don’t know for sure that this will even begin to make a dent in making anything better. That is not what this is about, though. This is about me coming to tell you what you deserve to hear, which is that I am sorry; two words that really should not be near as hard to say as what they are.
It startles me to come to understand how hard it is to say “I am sorry” when you know that the situation they’re affiliated with is one that really hurt people. Especially when it hurt not only one, but several people who opened their arms and hearts to embrace someone without having any way to know how many layers the person they are embracing has.
I am sorry that there was so much hurt and so much destruction caused by my words and my actions. I am sorrier still, that I did these things and told these lies to begin with and even more that I have no good reason to explain why.
I don’t have an evil heart or an evil spirit or mind. I believe that what I do have, goes deeper and is more conflicted than that. It isn’t evil because people are not evil. You told me, and in a way, taught me that. Despite whatever wrongs human-beings may commit against one another, nobody is really evil.
You are right in saying that something about me is missing and spiraling out in no-man’s land. It will be something I have to take control of and repair and in order for me to do that, I need to accept that I need help.
Nobody is perfect. We all know that much, but imperfection is corrected in the best ways possible when we take action to right the wrongs it has caused.
Now and then, we have little choice except to accept our poor decisions as our own and learn from them. I will do that. I will take your words into my heart and remember them, but keep them at a safe distance as we sever our ties.
Thank you for the chance to do that and allowing me to have this shot in life at turning this around to become something real.
EDIT: Chelsea added the following in our comment section.
It was me. It was my lies. My bullshit. Nobody else’s. Pulling other people’s names into it is bullying. If you want to talk about someone, focus on the one who lied, faked a blog, a disease, plagiarized, and hurt people. Leave innocent bystanders and their names out of it.
and
Chelsea says:
Everything I am accused of, I have done and sincerely regret it.
Please leave me to handle this as best as I and therapists can.
Thank you.
She sounds sincere. I hope she does get the help she needs and lives a happy, fulfilling life.
Thank you for your apology, Chelsea. I hope you are able to reach out and accept the help you need. Be prepared for this to be really hard for people to accept after all that’s happened but it’s a starting point, and I think being prepared to follow this up with actions – that show you are clearly remorseful and committed to getting help – will help people accept it. I hope things get better for you and you are able to live a life in which you don’t need to do this to fill in that gap left by whatever is missing.
Would it really have been that hard to take the extra step of acknowledging what you’re apologizing for? You are sorry, I can appreciate that. Now if you mean it take some responsibility for your actions by saying you are sorry you faked having cancer for so long and hurt your family, friends and children. What happened to your friend Heather in all this, and the lengths she went through to defend you, is horribly cruel and you can’t even acknowledge exactly what you did? I don’t believe you are sorry at all. I believe you are sorry you got caught and you want this to go away.
I agree with this so much. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ is easy. Saying ‘I’m sorry for doing [x]’ is much harder.
Skirting around the issue, the apology, the responsibility, the admission and clearly no remorse. It’s amazing how she nailed down every single detail of “her cancer journey” with exact precision, but can’t find the words to put together a proper, heartfelt admission and apology! I totally agree with you Crystal, what she did and probably still is doing to Heather is just as you said, “horribly cruel”!!
This is one of the fakest apologies I have ever heard. How will you ever look into your children’s eyes and explain the pain and hurt that you have caused them? I hope one day you do actually get the help that you need, but sadly I think this is just a cover up for now. You will go into hiding while you plot and plan your next scam and hurt more people. I will be praying for your children to be protected and sheltered from you. They have been hurt enough. Grow up, get over yourself, and get help!
Hopefully, she will not be given the opportunity to look into her children’s eyes and say anything. They are young enough that a stepmother who loves them can give them everything that she will not. I hope that their dad is able to keep them away from her forever.
You are sorry for your words and actions? Does that mean that the cancer you claimed you had on your blog and in real life was fake? Are you only sorry for your words and actions and not the fact that you faked cancer? Where is the responsibility and remorse that your children have prayed for you during your cancer?
I think it is so hard for you to say “I’m sorry” because you are not truly remorseful. You hurt a lot of people with your lies including your children and you still want everyone to feel sorry for you because you have to say “I’m sorry”. Using big words and writing long winded sentences is not going to make any one believe that this apology is sincere. You are only sorry that you got caught, AGAIN. I am sure you have already begun to prepare the next chapter in your fake online life! I hope that one day you realize the pain you have caused your children. I pray that your children will never have to be hurt again by your lies and I pray that you get the help that you so desperately need.
Illnesses come in many forms. Using the example of addiction, a person can see both sides: the mistrust, anger and pain in folks who are dealing with an addict (justified by their experiences); and the frustrations and hopelessness of the addict themselves.
With treatment, however, a person can get better. It might take various types of treatment, and more than one attempt. It won’t be easy. Obviously. If it were easy, then no one would ever be struggling with an illness because there is a quick fix. And that’s not true.
I hope that Chelsea does seek help and doesn’t give up when it gets tough (and it most likely will get tough). Everyone deserves a chance to live a life that isn’t harmful to themselves and others.
It is more unlikely than likely that a person who has narcissistic personalty disorder can get better. Most, and that includes folks who are compliant and WANT to change, do not. Perhaps her illness is not NPD; if so, she might be able to get better. However, if she has NPD, we will see her again, likely on this blog, or in a crime blotter.
I see that some people (too many already, sadly) who’ve been hurt by this Chelsea person are rejecting her apology and lashing out at her in anger. I find that sad. SHE TOOK THE FIRST STEP HERE, PEOPLE. Do you expect her to be perfectly changed without even having been in therapy to get the help she needs? Chelsea didn’t hurt me. I had never heard of her before Warrior Eli’s post on Facebook recently. But I can tell you this: I don’t attack people when they’re down without looking into my own heart and at least trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. She may not get the help she needs. She may hurt more people. On the flip side, she may have truly realized she needs help and she may get it. I prefer to encourage people like Chelsea, not try to tear them back down the instant they try to say “I know what I did, I accept responsibility, and I’m sorry”.
The fact that she didn’t directly address what she was apologizing for allows her to cover her own ass later on. Even if she truly is sorry, this entire thing feels like she’s giving herself an out for later down the road.
I’m not attacking her, but as someone who was hurt by her actions in real life, I can’t accept that she is truly sorry for what she’s done.
I just learned some more official facts on Facebook. If I could delete my statement here, I would. Since I can’t, I’ll just say “Never mind then.”
Chelsea, you may not remember chatting with me a bit at Blog for a Cure. We only “talked” a few times. I’m not sure that anyone in the online world needs your apology so much as your own children and family need it. Please tell them the truth, if you haven’t already. Those kids are the ones who have been hurt the most in this situation, and until they know the truth, you will never be able to move forward. I also really hope that you can get some help. There is a type of therapy called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) that I would highly recommend, if it’s available where you live. It’s a very practical approach to changing destructive patterns of behavior. You’re pretty young still, and there is hope that you can change and make amends, but it’s going to take time and commitment on your part. We all walk a long path in this world, and it’s possible to get lost. But it is also possible to get heading back in the right direction. Good luck.
And the $64,000 question is whether we will hear tomorrow that the Warrior Eli blog host made this apology up herself, or Chelsea’s non-existent lawyer told her to tender a fake apology, or we will see more nonsense threats to sue the blog host, the rest of the world etc. Imagine if this woman spent even a minuscule percentage of the time she spent being an attention hog (“hog” is not really the word I am thinking of, but I will be respectful to the easily offended) instead being a mother to her children, or earning and paying the child support she owes, or doing anything at all positive that would make her something other than a waste. I feel terribly sorry for her little kids (whom she has emotionally abused and damaged with her lies), her ex, her elderly former mother-in-law, her “friends,” the cashier at the local grocery and anyone else who has had the misfortune to cross paths with this person. The thing that a licensed counselor (I am not one – just someone who has read a good bit on the subject) will confirm is that if her diagnosis is indeed narcissistic personality disorder, as a poster seemingly speculated on a related thread, her prognosis for the tiniest bit of positive change, even with the very best therapy and psychotropic medication money can buy, is poor. Sad for her kids, but true.
Heather- Do you believe it now?
I do notice a big focus on self and how Chelsea feels. It’s like other people are faraway, misty, only one-quarter real or so.
Im convinced heather (constantly writing) and her are one in the same. Heather attacked me before prior to anyone knowing anything and she knew details into an email i sent to who was suppose to be chad. her ip address came out of d***** georgia, which is where chelsea was. I lost my girlfriend to luekemia and ive never felt more cheated than this. (edited by THW to protect her privacy)
Heather is definitely not Chelsea, unless Chelsea made a fake email address as Heather’s identity. Heather does not live in Georgia and I’ve had a lot of interaction with her. She was lied to by Chelsea too.
Derek, I am sorry for your loss, and hate that you wasted one second of your time worrying about the subject of this post. She did not deserve your time or compassion. I certainly hope that things have gotten a little better for you with time, and I wish you gobs of well-deserved peace and comfort. I think you are right about Chelsea and Heather being one and the same. D***** is a tiny, somewhat rural town that is 35 miles or so northeast of Atlanta. Much of the town is middle class, with subdivisions consisting of cookie cutter starter homes built during the housing boom, but there are also pockets of very cheap (and not super safe) rental housing there, where someone who is too lazy to work could conceivably afford to live. Much of D***** is suburbia for people who can’t afford Atlanta’s suburbs — to commute to Atlanta from there is at least a 90 minute drive in bumper to bumper traffic each way. Next, given the size of the city, I would agree with you that the chance of there being two separate posters with D***** ip addresses to the same little cancer blog is slim to none. If “they” were visiting Google.com, maybe. As a result, I think that you are absolutely correct that Chelsea and Heather were one and the same. In fact, I believe it highly unlikely that they are not the same person.
Quick note that I’m editing out the name of Chelsea’s town for her privacy. Also, I’ve interacted with both and verified that their IPs are very different. I know Heather’s identity and it’s not Chelsea Hassinger.
So if they live in the same town couldn’t Heather just be a real friend who’s in on the scam?
Seriously the worst apology I ever heard. It’s so narcissistic – which sums up Chelsea herself. I feel so bad for those beautiful children that she abused and neglected and scarred for life with her craziness. I wonder if she ever thinks about them or even has the emotional capability to do so. She doesn’t even acknowledge she has a son which is seriously messed up. I am so happy they have Amanda as their mother now. She seems like such a wonderful person. I can only hope that they can forget their birth mother as time goes on. Chelsea never once said what she was apologizing for. The fact she can’t admit it and say it proves she’s not the least bit sorry. Besides that why even bother apologizing here? She needs to apologize to her family which she will never do. I hope she can get mental help but I doubt she would even seek it out and if she did I doubt she can be helped anyway! Shes just too far gone.
I agree-I don’t think this is the worst place to say “I’m sorry for the lies and that people were hurt,” but I would rather see people she’s harmed come forward and say she made the effort to come to them individually and apologized. Granted, people she knows in real life have come here to tell their sides of the story, but this is site is usually read more often by people not directly involved in the dupes and scams featured here. I’d really like to think the best and hope she’s taken steps to apologize to her family and friends.
Derek, I’m so sorry. I’m much closer to leukemia than I wish I was too. The thought that someone might WANT to experience this is mind boggling. The passing on of bogus medical information and the ease with which Chelsea purportedly dealt with grueling, painful treatments is so awful in the context of a real cancer patient reading it and believing it was real. How horrible to wonder why you weren’t able to deal with treatment in the same manner, or wonder if your medical care was incorrect because your friend was thriving on a totally different treatment that your doctor claimed no knowledge of in treating your leukemia. How heinous for little children to cry and beg god to spare their Mom from a disease she made up.
Shame on you Chelsea for dragging this out and refusing to give the one thing that might promote healing – an honest acknowledgement that your cancer story was a sham and you realize enough about how awful that is that you are willing to accept responsibility for the hurt you caused. You say you aren’t evil and I believe that. I have a tremendous amount of empathy for what it must be like to be unable to have a rational thought process however you know what you are doing right now is wrong. You’ve put a lot of time and effort into crafting your words carefully enough to leave an escape hatch for yourself. But everyone sees through it. You aren’t fooling anyone. Your inauthentic life is visible to everyone, despite what your internal plotting and scheming and rationalizations might tell you. Your children, your friends and your family deserve better. The real patients you courted and befriended and pretended to relate to deserve better. Wouldn’t it be a relief to have this end? As in really end, not fake end with an escape hatch?
I have cancer…two kinds…I’m sorry that cancer has invaded my family and frightened my children. I’m sorry I may not be able to see my beautiful granddaughter grow up. That’s what sincerity is. I have nothing to apologize for. You need to get help and just go away.
People may not be evil, but actions can be.
Say, “I’m sorry that I lied and manipulated people by pretending to have terrible illnesses.”
Say, “I’m sorry I created a fake network of people to back up my lies.”
Say, “I’m sorry I seeded mistrust and suspicion in communities of people who really need the support.”
Say, “I’m sorry I lied to my children and made them think I was terminally ill.”
Say, “I’m sorry that I fabricated more lies when I was discovered.”
Say, “I’m sorry for stealing the artwork of others and passing it off as my own.”
Then, maybe we’ll start to believe you’re actually remorseful. This apology essentially reads as a really passive-aggressive, “I’m sorry that you were offended by my lies.”
Exactly.
“I’m sorry you were offended by my lies, and later when I get caught running my 42nd fake cancer blog I’m going to deny this ever happened and put all my efforts into convincing three or four people around me that I’m being persecuted so I have someone to throw under the bus later…”
I know you have to be reading this Chelsea. Don’t you want it to be over? How many times do you want to do this in your life? Do you want to do this again next hear? In 10 years? In 20? You can’t honestly believe, during any rational moments, that anyone around you believes what you are saying. You must know that even family would be questioning how someone comes to get accused of repeatedly faking cancer or stealing art or assuming false identities. That just doesn’t happen over and over in normal life.
You may have horribly manipulated Heather and a boyfriend or two, or a few people you can stay in contact with every day and control the situation, but that’s not a life. It must be so exhausting to worry about all the time. Come clean. Let someone help you. Rebuild your foundation before you’ve wasted your youth and your family relationships and your children’s futures for nothing. Superficial interactions with people you will eventually be forced to discard. You must want more.
I find the statement, “Now and then, we have little choice except to accept our poor decisions as our own and learn from them,” the most telling. There is no “we” in her choice, there is no “our” in her poor decisions. Although she says she will own and learn from them, in her word choice, she does not take sole ownership- she pushes it out to the rest of us. I say, “No thank you, Chelsea. You can keep your choices and poor decisions.”
Well-observed. These folks rarely seem able to have proper, positive boundaries. They either focus obsessively on themselves or else vaguely philosophize about some imagined group fitting the editorial “We.” It’s all about getting maximum gain from minimum investment.
Also the thing is is that narcissists like Chelsea feed off ANY attention at all. Even negative. You know she is sitting at home reading all these comments and relishing in them. That was the purpose of her apology. To extend the attention on this site. It’s sad. Honestly the best thing to do with people like her is to stop talking about her. Don’t post anymore about her and just act like she never existed.
I really agree with this. In all likelihood, she will do this again, either online or in real life. There are people who still believe her, for whatever reason. She will never apologise for the specific things she has lied about, nor take responsibility for them.
Time to move on. This one is not going to “see the light” like some of the others have done when they were caught.
Agreed 100 percent Patti! She will never see that what she’s done as wrong – so let’s just let it go.
I was surprised but about a half hour after I posted, she confessed/ Still, I think it’s time to move on.
Doesn’t seem like much of an apology. How can Heather still believe her? Are they in the scam together?
I think they are
I would like to think the only reason Heather would still believe her was if Heather was getting some of the benefits of Chelsea’s paypal scam money.
Someone close to Chelsea…very close. .told me that Chels told her that a friend in Texas wrote the blog and stole Chelsea’s identity and Chelsea is covering for this friend. Where does Heather live? Warrior Eli, did you check into that?
This does not follow at all because there are people who she lied to in person about her cancer diagnosis.
Hmm. Oddly enough I did get a message from the mother of Chelsea’s fiancee. This is what it said.
Becky W*** A****** 2:51pm Feb 20
Please respond, what is your name! Additionally are you in Illinois or Texas?
Becky W*** A****** 3:09pm Feb 20
OK, you’re in IL…..I’m letting you know Ms. Harper Wright that we have identified the person from whom you have been getting information…..she has admitted that the “blog” was created by her and not Chelsea Hassinger. And she apologized. You are not an investigative reporter and you may be guilty of libel or slander, (we are in contact with our attorney about that issue). You might consider an apology and retraction yourself. It might be in your best interest.
Wait – so after everything that happened Chelsea told her boyfriend’s Mother that Heather did this? That’s what it seems like. Ouch. That’s harsh. Heather defended her far, far beyond any logical reasoning and was loyal until the bitter end. That has to hurt. I wonder if Heather knows this part. Or if Collin and/or his Mother know the truth. Or really anyone in her real life. I hope she’s going to get help but I doubt there is a therapist and it’s hard to know if this is just another round of calculated words designed to make it all go away. I hope someone else who is involved in her real life is reading this and documenting it and forces it to stick so she’s unable to do this again.
hmmm…. I trust you Taryn that you’ve done sufficient work. This email is probably just another tactic of hers.
Strategic use of “might” and “may.” Would love to see this alleged admission.
She really tried to blame everyone else for these blogs and lies, didn’t she.
Yeah, I wouldn’t lose sleep regarding more BS threats from imaginary lawyers. Consider the source — a “mother” who cannot afford diapers and basic necessities for her kids. I daresay she’s not coming up with a litigation retainer any time this century. Or money for a shrink. Look on the bright side, Taryn — people like Chelsea will keep your blog relevant and timely forever.
The blog is obviously just the tip of the ice berg, so that doesn’t really make any sense. Did this “friend” also put on a Chelsea mask so she could tell Chelsea’s children that she had cancer? I’m afraid that Chelsea is going to keep lying to the bitter end.
It was me. It was my lies. My bullshit. Nobody else’s. Pulling other people’s names into it is bullying. If you want to talk about someone, focus on the one who lied, faked a blog, a disease, plagiarized, and hurt people. Leave innocent bystanders and their names out of it.
Have you told the people in your life, ie your boyfriend, his mother, your friend Heather and others that you lied and you are a lying liar who lies?
You must tell your kids, Chelsea. From one mom to another, please don’t wait to do that.
There is no bullying going on. Any “innocent bystanders” pulled into this mess were brought by you. They came to defend you and your lies. They are your victims. If there is ever a chance for you to get better, you must realize that you are not the victim. You are not a cancer victim, you are not Taryns victim, and you are not a victim of bullying by anyone in these comments.
Innocent bystanders??? YOU are the only one who has hurt anyone here. No one is being bullied. If u want to worry about someone why don’t u worry about those poor children of yours that u screwed up with your crazy lies – letting them think that mommy’s dying, never seeing them, or letting your son sit in his dirty diapers while u fulfilled ur computer obsession???? Thank God they have a father and a new mother who truly loves them and can hopefully keep contact with you to a minimum – if at all. I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of anyone as crazy as you. I hope u get help although I’m pretty sure u never will as u are incapable of seeing ur actions as wrong.
Those innocent bystanders brought themselves into it. No one forced them to comment here or defend you. No one except themselves and you.
So you admit that you lied to your fiance and/or his mother about another person other than you being involved in lying about a cancer diagnosis?
Everything I am accused of, I have done and sincerely regret it.
Please leave me to handle this as best as I and therapists can.
Thank you.
Thank you. I sincerely do hope that you can get a handle on this and get some relief.
I wish you repentance and – since that’s the price of it – inner freedom.
I’ve never yet met a hoaxer who didn’t have unusual ability. That’s what made it possible to hoax.
So go forth and use that ability straightly and naturally. You can make your way, and be liked/loved, simply by being true and recognizing that other people are as real as you are inside – and the vast, vast majority aren’t out to get you.
Good luck to you.
Anyone who lies about having cancer, especially to raise money, is evil or to be charitable, misguided. Holding grudges doesn’t do any good. The best thing is to be strong, to gain a tough skin and to move on without fear.
Anyone who thinks there are no “evil” people is deceiving themselves. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”
It’s difficult to figure out what is true. There were so many comments from people who knew/interacted/were related to her before and now that she’s admitted that she never had cancer it’s silent. I wonder if that is because people are coping, or because they aren’t reading and don’t know the truth. Very curious.
I can only truly speak for myself, but nearly everyone that posted that knew Chelsea in real life did not believe she had cancer even before it was exposed here. There is no need to comment on Chelsea’s confession because it is her admitting something we already knew and have known for a long time.
We know. The adults, anyway. My children have no idea and will continue to not know for the time being. I’ll be sharing my personal thoughts tomorrow. For now, we’re trying to process all this the best we can!
Trust me, we’re reading. We know this has been posted. But her lack of stating exactly what she is apologizing for, and keeping her apologies as vague as possible, is the problem. Those of us who knew Chelsea in real life were well aware she was faking cancer long before Taryn made her initial post. What else is there to say?
Amanda just have to say u r the true hero in all this. I’m so glad those children have u as their mother. U r amazing.
Thank you! It amazes me how kind you are without knowing me! I’m no hero, trust me. Just trying to do the best I can with what I got!
You are my heros for the continued support for my family and I and calling things on here as you see them!
Amanda, was she faking with her fiance (Colin?) as well? If she truly has come clean and is sincere in getting help, this will be a long journey for her. People can change and I wish her the best. Life is crazy enough without adding more drama.
i’d like to see this wind down too but see that many of you still have questions. You wonder — D and M say they knew she was lying? Yet Maxton’s say they didn’t know she was lying? That’s right. Chelsea didn’t tell us she had cancer until fall of 2011. We think she was living in North Carolina with Dan when she told us. We didn’t know Dan, had no reason to contact him. So – to us – yes, she was Brady’s ex wife and discovered she had cancer in fall of 2011 while living with Dan in North Carolina. We’re not sure when she moved from Dan / North Carolina to Colin / Georgia. Just yesterday I was told Colin and his mom believed she had cancer, but now they too know she didn’t, and are willing to stand by her and help her to get help. I was glad to hear that.
Brady and Amanda had gotten engaged December 2010 and were married in May 2012. Back in fall 2011 when Chelsea told them she had cancer, Brady enrolled the kids with counselors, bought books on explaining cancer to children, and otherwise, we Maxton’s just continued to live our lives — four generations of family and jobs in a small radius here in central Pa.
We physically saw Chelsea maybe 3 times from Dec 2011 until Jan 2013. Two times we saw her were January 2012 and January 2013 – around her birthday. She came up each year to visit her parents and sister who live one hour north of us, and she picked up the kids each time. We saw her bald, gauze on chest, tubes in 2012. In 2013 she had hair growth, she gave us brief updates on her treatment, and she was happy about remission. We didn’t know anything about Cancer blogs or photos or Tiny Books or plagarism until we read about them on Taryn’s blog here, just one month later. We don’t know who D or M are, or what their connection is to Chelsea.
Taryn contacted us in February 2013, just a day before she posted about Chelsea on this blog. We’d never heard of Taryn or this blog. We spent hours that week following Taryn’s posts and all your comments in order to absorb the layers of this, the numbers of people impacted. We made a few comments ourselves.
My mother used to say “What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”. Chelsea has a very tangled web. K’s therapist thinks my granddaughter is too young to be told what Chels did. Perhaps Chels shouldn’t talk with the kids now because if they ask how she is, does she need to continue to lie — it’s a conundrum, isn’t it? But if Chelsea works with a therapist, I think that therapist can contact K’s therapist, and these two trained professionals can come up with a plan for all our approval.
So let’s move on. Everyone “real” has plenty to do. To all of you who were hurt by Chelsea’s actions, and especially to those of you battling cancer — good luck to each one of you. Thank you for the support you showed us during this. Lots of good people out here. Let’s all be cautious, but be open hearted too.
I’m really glad to hear that people in her real life know what is going on and will hopefully get Chelsea help. That’s all that really matters. Those of us who crossed paths with her only in the online world can just move on, but it’s you folks who know her in reality who still have a long road ahead of you. You sound like good people, who will be able to weather this and heal from it. Take care.
Just for clarification I knew Chels from hitrecord and in real life when she lived in North Carolina. I actually believed she had cancer from nov 2011 until very early January 2012 when I started looking into her plagiarism AND her cancer and discovered she was lying. I havent spoken to her since then (jan 2012). I moved on and mostly forgot about it until M (another hitrecord friend that knew chelsea) told me taryn found a new tumblr chelsea had made just a few weeks ago. Just to clarify my and M’s connection to this.
I’m sorry about the confusion over who we are, Grandma Gar. In an earlier post, Taryn had linked to a Livejournal blog entry of someone who knew Chelsea during her time on hitRECord – that is my Livejournal. Just to clear that up, so you understand how D and I knew Chelsea.
what a crock of horseshit all of this is. people are just stupid.
What a crock of horse shit what is??? Do you have children that have been told “mommy” (who is barely a blip in their lives to begin with), has leukemia and might die?? DO YOU? And then calls you and tells you about the treatments and the pain and even people named Earl they met at treatment and how they want to see “their” kids but can’t because of chemo treatments?? Yes, she used “no phones in the oncology unit”, “inpatient chemo”, “I’m so sick looking for them to see” as excuses to not see/call/come get the kids. Then in September finally decide they’re better and after not seeing or talking to the kids in 4 months, and wants them for a “I survived leukemia” party. Then around Christmas calls and asks for the kids to come visit her in Georgia the next summer for a whole month (when she literally sees my children a couple times a year). When she is told no, she breaks out the whole “well I’ve really changed and would like to get around my kids more since I was in the hospital dying most of last year” thing. Which is, of course, not followed through on. Then, two months later you’re at work when your mother in law sends you and email with the title of “chels Wtf????” And you open it and see this website. I didn’t even read the whole email, I called my mother in law and simply said “WTF WTF WTF”. I went and picked up my kids and looked at them. They’re beautiful, they’re funny and sweet. What kind of person does that!? It’s not horse shit, of that much I can assure you. Anyone who thinks it’s ok to lie to their kids and let the people who are actually there for the kids deal with it and calls this “horse shit” is the stupid one. me? I literally was shaking with rage after I talked to Taryn that night and heard she confessed. I cried because she lied about having a terminal disease to MY children and played games for over a year. I vowed to do WHATEVER is necessary to protect my kids. Let somebody do that to your children, then come tell me this is horse shit. Oh, and another thing: the first time she was going to see the kids after “chemo” started my daughter cried and was scared and said she wasn’t ready to see chels. So yes, even though she only came around a couple of times, it affected them. And I was the one who held my daughter while she was crying because she was scared to see chels look so different and sick. So you go ahead and live through that a couple years, then maybe you can call it horse shit.
I won’t even get in to the number of things she did to two of the nicest guys I know…my husband and her husband at the time she was “diagnosed”. They are two of the greatest guys and they now trust nobody or anything. I myself find that to be true lately.
Unless you mean her apology is horse shit. That’s a whole different ball game.
Oh, and yes, we didn’t know it was fake the whole time. Her husband at the time figured it out and by the time he dropped her off at her parents he was emotionally drained and figured her parents would figure it out given her past. I have hung out with him recently and he apologized for not letting us know it wasn’t real but he just wanted her gone from his life at that point. Which I cannot blame him for. In fact, I’m glad he sought me out to tell me what really happened at the beginning of the whole mess. At least we know now, and even though it’s making our heads spin, WE are concentrating on the kids. Like parents and grandparents (yes, the kids and my parents love each other as if they are blood) do. My daughter said to my mother in law on Thursday “I’m just like my mommy even though we aren’t blood”. Things like that let me know we’re doing something right
S-I am the step-grandma. Do not know Chelsea, have only tried to support my dgt, son in law & grandkids. I also work in healthcare. My grandchildren’s mother has been a destructive force in the life of everyone I know that she has come in contact with. She has needed psych help for a long, long time. From the history I have heard the ONLY time help has ever been mentioned is when a situation like this occurs. Meaning, legal or other consequences have been threatened. Not what is considered to be someone who is truly repentant! Thus, not someone who truly wants psych help. At this point the best way for Chelsea to show her former family how remorseful she is would be to write letters to the children to be given to them when they are much older. Ideally, they should express sorrow for all the crap she has put the kids through. She should relinquish her rights to the kids, get the help she needs, & build a healthy new life. In the future, when the kids express interest in mommy Chelsea, they can be given their letter. They can then make a healthy adult decision whether or not to contact the woman who have birth to them, but was unable to parent them. Any of you who are mothers know that this is the only way for her to express a mature love for these previous kids! Selflessly bequeath to them the stable & loving family that now surrounds them & pray that in the future one or both of them will seek her out to thank her for this gift & possibly establish a relationship with their now mentally healthy birth mom. Trust me, my dgt & her extended family who are now true family to the children will do our best to raise the kids to be living and functional adults.
Hey Amanda, don’t get too worked up. The “crock of horseshit” comment came from Chelsea’s friend Heather, who is STILL being lied to by Chelsea. She’s been told that a lawyer contacted me about this blog and that’s not true. Heather swore up and down for a week that Chelsea was telling the truth and that I was personally attacking someone named Chelsea Goldberg who was dying in a hospital. Now she believes Chelsea is seeking out legal counsel to somehow halt me from posting what we know now is the truth. It’s disgusting that Chelsea continues to lie to this poor woman. I can’t imagine hurting people the way that she continues to do.
Haha I was just about to text you and say sorry for flipping out, but that’s an a-hole comment to make. I am just angry for the kids, for them it wasn’t horse shit and it isn’t Heathers call to make.
Hey, we need some Xanax up in here. The horse shit comment was about this ENTIRE situation in general. It was not targeting anyone in particular. I apologize for the miscommunication or bad/stupid/retarded wording – whatever you want to call it. I’m sorry I made the horse shit comment. It wasn’t meant to upset anyone.
And now you use the very offensive R word.
That is not a good sign, Taryn. I’m afraid that it wouldn’t surprise me to see Chelsea end up on your site again in the future. If she really wants to get better, she has to stop lying and make amends to those she’s hurt.
And Amanda, I don’t blame you for getting upset. You are the one in the trenches, taking care of Chelsea’s kids (and I think it’s very sweet the way you call them “your” kids…speaking from my own experience, I can say that a good stepmom can make a huge difference in a child’s life). No one has any right to judge you in this situation. Take care.
So Chelsea publicly apologized and kinda sorta confessed, yet she is still telling Heather that she really does have cancer, and Heather continues to believe her??? Clearly, Chelsea’s “apology” is meaningless if she continues to lie about her situation, and I have absolutely no hope that she is going to get help for her very significant psychological problems. And, Heather reminds me of a child who is way too old to still believe in Santa but willfully ignores the obvious in order to keep the fantasy alive. I mean, what more evidence she need that Chelsea is a complete and utter fraud? What a god-awful mess.
So Heather still believes Chelsea and is still acting out. Heather acts like a 5 year old throwing a tantrum because they have to go to bed. “I won’t go to bed and you can’t make me” type of thing. The fact that Heather keeps believing Chelsea is telling the truth and everyone else is lying is to quote her “a crock of horseshit”. When Heather says “people are stupid” is she talking about herself?
What do I matter in this mess? I don’t. This is about Chelsea, not me. Surprisingly, I’m a big girl and more than capable of choosing who I want to be friends with. You don’t see me arguing with anyone, anywhere – so why do you care about what I do? Whether or not I’m acting like a five-year-old; it’s really none of your concern. I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong in this situation. I tried to stand by a friend, that’s all.
Heather you have argued with several people saying Chelsea isn’t lying when clearly she is/was.
Also Heather, when you lie down with dogs you get fleas.
You’ve also been very rude and sarcastic to everyone here as well as talking down to us. And she isn’t a friend, she’s a liar.
Elizabeth- I totally agree. PersonallyI think Heather does believe it, she is just to embarrassed to admit it. I mean, seriously, regardless of whether Chelsea is still telling her the lies, Heather should have enough common sense to know the truth. The evidence is right there. Either she is somehow in it or she’s too embarrassed. I can’t believe someone would still believe the lies after being faced with ALL THE EVIDENCE.
Yes, she’s been rude and unkind. I say we need to give her some slack because at first she thought we were attacking a real person named Chelsea Goldberg who was dying. I can understand why she’d be angry if she believed we were attacking her real sick friend and making her life even worse.
Now, I’m sure she is embarrassed and feels sad that she was deceived. I still say we need to be compassionate towards her, even if she does come across as rude.
We don’t see you arguing with anyone, anywhere??? Do you think we have mysteriously forgotten everything you have written here? I would certainly say that referring to all of this as “a crock of horseshit” and calling people “stupid” when no one had even montioned your name here in recent days certainly qualifies as being argumentative. You brought yourself into this, plain and simple, and you continue to do so.
Calm down, Anna. Did you not see my apology further up? I didn’t mean it to sound like I was calling everyone here stupid. I meant the entire situation in general is horseshit and some people are stupid – not saying that anyone here is, it’s meant to be in *general*. That’s not being argumentative. At least I didn’t mean for it to sound so. I’m sorry.
Yeah, gentle reminder that Heather now has been told the truth and if she continues to be friends with Chelsea, that’s her choice. She came across as pretty brash and unedited, but that’s just the way she is. She’s not a Chelsea sock puppet and she did nothing wrong in all of this.
Taryn- she has been nothing but rude to everyone here. Why does she get away with it but we can’t?
Not trying to be mean, but I’m tired of seeing people who are rude and mean to others and get away with it.
I’m confused, Taryn. You say above that Heather is still being lied to by Chelsea, but you say here that she has been told the truth. Do you mean that she is still being lied to about certain aspects of the story (i.e. the lawyer) but has been told the truth about the cancer? If so, that was not clear to me from your post above.
Heather, I did see your apology. But, my point remains that you have been very vocal participant in this discussion, and you continue to be so. So, I don’t think it should come as a surprise that people direct some of their comments at you.
I actually have not been that vocal through this. Not as much as others. Your point is clear, though. Relax. It’s over now.
I mean Heather has seen the truth published here, and apparently Chelsea told her that it was the truth. She may still be being lied to about a lot of details, but she knows that the friendship runs the risk of that now.
You know i was trying to stay out of this, however I just reread a bunch of corrospondence I had on my tumblr account on my iphone and I am absolutely disgusted at the lies and stories she made up. I actually bought her an album that I hold near and dear to my heart, in hopes of making her fake hospital stay easier. What type of sick f&#^ makes things like this up and feeds off of peoples emotions and faith. Sociopath, psychopaths, narcissistic etc…. that’s who…. Heather is no better, she wrote me 3 different emails saying don’t mention fake chelsea in my blog etc…. they were mean spirited as well.
Derek, I know. I keep thinking of all the crap I was told by her and it just infuriates me more and more. Literally makes me sick.
Disgusting Human Beings !!!
Heather has apparently contacted many people on Chelsea’s behalf. Her people skills are amazingly awful. I’m so sorry.
I am NOT contacting ANYONE on Chelsea’s behalf. I wrote AmySue on my own behalf. Please do not assume things like that.
Heather- apparently others have gotten emails from you. Unless Chelsea is somehow faking it.
Perhaps not on her behalf, but you’re not talking with people you’ve contacted about the weather, correct?
lol
She denies that she was ever sarcastic or rude to us!
She contacted me as well and was frankly very rude and untoward. I have no sympathy for people that accuse me of things and (vaguely) threaten me. Chelsea lied to my face about these things too and I have yet to act out in such an immature way.
Heather just sent me a rude email telling me off about posting here. Apparently, I can’t express my feelings
Ugh, Amy, I’m sorry. Heather keeps emailing me telling me to move on from this, but she seems to be the one who can’t. For someone who claims to be “not that vocal about this” it certainly seems to be the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to her. The two of us have exchanged many many many many extremely lovely messages.
smh
It’s sad that she keeps it going.
that was to Taryn btw
While this is a great blog with a great purpose, well-researched posts, etc, the discussions underneath each post take away a little from the seriousness, credibility and general high standards of the blog. I see Taryn as this incredible young woman who made it a mission to find fakers, show what they have done, help them, and also go to the news about it! And people post comments without thinking twice, making it seem like a pathetic debate. Also, the readers cannot really see who is who, and who is right or the IPs.
Is it not possible to debate via email, FB, etc? Is it really necessary to do this here and destroy the good work that is being done?
It seems appropriate to have an online and public airing of the situation when Chelsea chose this as her venue for hoaxing and scamming others. There are a number of people here (including myself) who interacted with Chelsea online and are here discussing those experiences under our real names. I think Taryn has this handled, and doesn’t really need advice from an anonymous blogger.
here, here Ann!
Just a quick note to say we encourage comments and like to hear from people who have been hurt. It’s cathartic to share, even if it seems like a pile on. I’m thrilled Chelsea is getting help, but that doesn’t change the very real feelings of people in her past, and they deserve to be able to have their say. (Not targeting you on this, Ann. I just had to reply to one of these).
Also, we are working on a Warrior Eli Forum so this stuff can be discussed at length without anyone feeling like it’s muddying up our reporting.
I like the idea of a forum! Good idea!
I think a forum would add a good component to what you do here, Taryn.
We can’t debate via email because WordPress does not allow anyone but the author of the site, the admin, to see our email addresses.
Chelsea and Heather r both disgusting human beings. They deserve each other. I think we should all move on and leave them to their crazy world together. Amanda – keep up the amazing work raising YOUR kids!!! I hope Chelsea can at least find it in herself to do one selfless act and relinquish her rights and never tries to contact them again. They deserve a loving family!
Also I do have a question- I don’t recall seeing much written about family – r her parents involved? Siblings? Did she have a bad childhood? Is that why she’s this way??? I was just curious about their involvement if any.
It seems to me that the hoax was exposed, the hoaxer spoke out and is moving on with her life…what does it matter about her family? What she did was terrible and obviously she will live with that forever. Her family’s reaction and involvement in her life are hardly anyone’s business. Lets move on and let Taryn get back to what she does best!
I am wondering why people are having a difficult time letting the victims her her hoax deal with it by talking about it. It’s a way of healing. If you don’t want to keep reading, you don’t have to. Let the victims in this heal the way they want.
oops… that’s supposed to say “the victims IN her hoax…”
It’s more a confusion about what the girl’s personal life has to do with anything. For all we know, something did happen in her past that screwed her up. It isn’t our job to uncover that. Talk about your healing or what you think you need to talk about. That’s my thoughts, at least. I can’t speak for anyone else.
Yeah Heather is seriously a mean hearted person who says she’s “defending” her friend, but does it an a rather untasteful manner. I have the IP addresses logged of her and Chelsea, I’m still trying to figure out who is in upstate New York.. Heather can act as innocent as she wants, she verbally assaulted me in at least 3 emails, when all I was doing was having for her fake victim friend. Do us all a favor and go the fuck away….. both of you….
Sorry Derek, I did see you comment earlier that you so had a blog/tumblr? I’ve been paying attention to this blog/comment thread for a while and would love to follow another one, let me know, thanks!
I don’t dare leave my Tumblr here. Emily Dirr had several of my personal photos staked out use in her hoax, and there are probably other thieves and frauds lurking the site, looking for sources.
Chelsea lives in Georgia, I believe.
I don’t buy it. I’ve known this girl for years…grew up with her and whenever she gets caught in a lie, this is what she does. I’ll believe it when I see some proof. She is a shining example of the boy who cried wolf. Always saying she’s sorry and it won’t happen again, but give it a few years and she’ll be someone else with a new story.
Several people have mentioned that Heather has contacted them, being very rude and on the verge of harassment. She’s done it to me now, all because I mentioned her in a comment I left on here(and I can’t even find it anymore). She contacted me via her fake Facebook and has begun calling me names and harassing me! She’s keen on trying to get me to believe that Taryn is lying about something but she won’t tell me what. Just thought I’d pass it along that she’s not stopped, and Chelsea is still lying to her. Or even that they’re in this together.
Heather contacted me as well via FB (she used a false profile, but sent me a link to her Tumblr). I ignored her, after letting Taryn know about it, and haven’t heard back from her. Thank goodness.
She keeps telling me that Taryn is going to be outed but she won’t tell me when or what. It’s just a bunch of name calling and telling me I’m wrong so I think it’s my best bet to ignore her from now. I don’t know why she feels like she has to be under a false name if she’s got nothing to hide.
My best suggestion is just to ignore her. She’s decided to wage a war of cyberterrorism against me, and unfortunately I had to get the police involved. She’s not allowed to contact me personally anymore, but she did message many of my Facebook friends and people who were fans of this blog. She’s blogging away about what a liar I am but has yet to provide any proof, either that I have lied or that her friend is really sick. We really can’t do much other than roll our eyes and move on to more important topics.