This is a comment from a woman who lost her son to cancer in 2009.
Even if Emily didn’t profit at all from this scam, she still hurt a lot of people who didn’t deserve it.
EDIT: Another mother of a cancer patient wrote this and I asked for permission to share.
(Here’s a link to the article Shelly included in her comment).
I’ve seen people on FB who have childhood cancer groups and/or follow childhood cancer families wonder what has happened in the last week because suddenly they are being unfriended. Many folks in the childhood cancer community are now not only hurting but spooked and getting very quiet. Which is unfortunate because silence breeds ignorance, and ignorance can kill.
Jatanna, Ollie is a beautiful child. I have no doubt that he is playing with other young souls who have passed and that all of them are watching over us. Big hugs to you and yours.
I am one of the ones who are spooked….My 4 year old daughter passed away from cancer in 2009. Because I did not want my beautiful daughter or any other child who lost their battle to be forgotten, and because I wanted to help raise awareness of childhood cancer and the impact it has on the children and families affected, I became a member of awareness groups on FB and allowed my daughters photos to be used for raising awareness. Now, I highly doubt that I will ever again allow her photo to be used in any way, shape or form and locked down the photos I have on FB. I worry that someone, somewhere is using her photo to scam unsuspecting people. And, thanks to you Emily, I will have an extremely hard time believing any child’s support page in the future.
I’m so sorry, Michelle.
My daughter was born with cancer. I too have slowed people ALSF and other organizations to use her picture to bring awareness to the cause. This has definately made it difficult for people to trust other and when you are a parent of a child with cancer all you are looking for us others going through the sale situation as you are. This sucks. It sucks that one person can put a huge wedge in lives of people who don’t need extra, added, fake, drama in their life. I am blessed my daughter is still alive. I am saddened for those affected by this hoax who have lost their child.
Allowed, not slowed.
That definitely sucks, Summer. At least you can still trust legit organizations, so that’s something, right?
The lesson I learned is to trust my instincts! Something kept telling me the story didn’t add up……How could a guy have so many kids and their mothers be out of the picture? Or How they looked so different in the pictures ( like the pic of Dana pregnant didn’t look anything like the others but I just thought it was cause she was pregnant). You know that little voice that warns you, but I always dissmissed it because I thought nobody would be sooo low to make up a story like this……now I know better. The good thing is I follow the stories of two other families who have lost their kids and I trust they are real, their pics all look the same, and I don’t get a weird feeling about their story, so I still haven’t lost faith in ppl.
But it is sad that one person has caused all this heartbreak!
It blows my mind that someone could make up something like this. I don’t have a child that has cancer and I haven’t had anyone that I was really close to die from cancer. My great aunt had breast cancer, had them removed, went into remission and then developed brain cancer and died. I had only met her a few times so I wasn’t really close to her but it was still sad. My mother had skin cancer. And I know that is nothing compared to these parents whose kids have major cancer but o remember how terrified I was that my mom was going to die. We were so worried that it had spread and that it was going to be worse than what it was. I am very close to her and I would have been devastated if anything would have happened to her. I can’t imagine how so many of you feel when your child has cancer or anything I just know that my heart hurts for each and every one of the children that have cancer or some other illness. I have an 8 month old son and I couldn’t imagine losing him. I follow a lot of pages on Facebook of kids that are battling cancer and I try to comment every day. I feel that if I can make one child smile just for a few moments or let a mother know that someone is thinking about them then I am doing something good. I started following elis page the day before mothers day and I wrote comments when I found out about “Dana”. My heart broke for that “family”. I spent my first mothers day with my son sad and with a heavy heart. And I will always think about that when I look back on my first mothers day. But even though it turned out to be a hoax I know that my heart was in the right place and that I did what I should have. I reached out to a grieving family just like I do most days. And I won’t let one persons deception keep me from reaching out to other families. And no one else should either. There are always going to be sick deranged people in this world but there are much more good honest caring people. That’s what I will cling to. I will continue to pray for all the people that are fighting and I will include an extra prayer for Emily and everyone like her. I pray you get help Emily and that you get better mentally.
I am another of the moms who does have an actual child who is fighting cancer. My daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer at two months old. We have been VERY public with her story (www.starringscarlett.com) for the simple reason that it is something so rare that we wanted to find other families who have been through the same. I first saw the Warrior Eli message on FB while she was in the hospital recovering from her tenth surgery last week. I was bothered by it all day, telling my husband and all the nurses about this tragedy. I checked back to their FB a few times, and, like others, I was weirded out just by the number of “likes” they had and the some of the elements of the story that didn’t add up for me.
However, unlike some others, I will NOT change my approach. We have been accused of being fake before after another of these hoaxes got out, and I was horrified that someone would victimize others like that. So much good has come from Scarlett’s story – some for us, but more for bringing families affected by this together, and reaching out to those who are just entering the chaos. The internet is a gift and a curse, but we will continue to share openly with the hopes that it brings more awareness to kids like ours. I will continue so that one day, I can show my daughter all the good that came to the world thanks to her.
You will never win Emily. NEVER. You can lie all you want and while you are sitting at home lying gathered around all of your toys and cards that people give you when they believe your lies, you can think about the little kids that will die before they get toys and cards because someone believed you and ignored them. I will NEVER stop helping people who need it and if it makes you feel better to get some toys and cards then I dont mind that it may be sent to you one day because I think you do need help and support. NEVER EVER GIVE UP! Keep fighting with your kids and dont let Emily make you take down your pics and stop sharing your story, because those stories give me strength, the allow me to connect with God and they show me what a real super hero is.
Brandi,
I follow your daughter’s story, and it is children like her who make this hoax even worse. I don’t get an iota of “fake” from your blog, and I have a spidey sense for that. Scarlett is so brave, and I admire your family very much. You should link your actual blog to your name, though!
I thought I did link it – guess I messed it up somewhere! Thank you for your following Scarlett, and for your kind words.
This Emily makes me sick, she is not sorry, she never will be, I bet shes laughing at how people got caught up. She knew exactly what she was doing, she knew she would make a fortune by havung this “mother” pass away on mothers day, her story didn’t only affect the cancer community I think it affected all communities that get together with sick children, I am part of the Heart community because my son has a congenital heart defect that he will live with for life, he had open heart surgery at 2 months old, he is a little fighter and it sickens me that someone can use real sick children for their own selfish benefit. Karma will tske care of Emily.
I think this blog is a big hoax too!
Prove it!
This blog is being maintained by a woman with a background in journalism, who became aware of the hoax on Mother’s Day. It’s becoming a very tangible way for families who have been victimized either through financial misrepresentation or stealing photos, to recover pieces of the truth and possibly press charges. It is also a public way to exert pressure on those who can help the perpetrator of this hoax receive the psych care she clearly, desperately requires. I shared your suspicions (if you’re being serious) and made a spectacle here in the comments — and can at least offer you my own assurance that this site is 100% legit.
Anonymous 11:10pm, I’m sure we’d all LOVE to see any evidence you have that this blog is fake and the Dirr family is real. Really. Please do share.
Emily, is that you?
Has anybody contacted the national media? Her local media.?
I think that Emily needs to be publicly outed and receive serious intense psychological treatment. Has anybody heard back From the family?
I can’t believe that this is no t getting media attention. I do not want this story to fade away and then Emily is back to her old tricks with another fake persona.
Lulu I’m not sure if you’re part of the private Facebook group and I will not mention specifics here since it’s private over there, but Taryn has shared updates on this subject.
Thank you. I will be joining pronto.
what is the facebook page? Ive been looking for it but cant find it.
I believe this blog site is a hoax as well! Emily is running this blog site….she has aleady put YEARS and a lot of TIME into the “Warrior Eli” hoax, why not continue her twisted plan by making a blog to “uncover” all of the bad things that she did. Plus, it is stated that people that suffer these types of mental illnesses will do another hoax again, this blog site is her next hoax! If it was real, then why not go to your local authorities or your local news station to show them all of the “evidence” that you have INSTEAD of making a blog where people can follow evidence of something that has already been PROVEN that is a hoax? You’re going out of your way and “contacting” all these people to give you evidence….when you’re contacting them as “Tayrn” or “Warriorelihoax”…
My question is, why put all the time and effort to organize this blog site, when we already know that “Warrior Eli” was a hoax?
If you’re managing this blog site (Which I highly believe you are) you sure are one twisted person, and you do need help and prayers!
Mayraestela, I have given my real name (Taryn Harper Wright) my real blog (www.innerfatgirl.com) and explained that I stumbled into this story when the death of Dana Dirr went viral on Facebook. I’m sorry you still have doubts, but what sense does it make for Emily to write a blog debunking her own stories?
It makes a lot of sense actually…Look, what Im saying is that I don’t believe any of it….just like how she kept lying years and years about Eli, she can easily make another like. Look, I appreciate the fact that you gave me your full name and your other blog site….but isn’t that the same thing that Emily did with “JS and Dana Dirr”?
If this is legitimate, then Im sorry….but for me, I don’t believe anything in this site! So you stumbled upon this story…then you became so captivated by it that it inspired you to write a blog? My question is WHY?
And as for Emily to create a blog to debunk her story…well it takes less attraction from the real media, because we can get the updates from this blog than from anywhere else…it makes perfect sense.
I still don’t believe it, and I won’t.
I’m not sure there’s anything I can say or do to make you believe it, but I think the evidence that we’ve collected here speaks for itself at this point.
I meant lie instead of like
Yes the evidence does speak for itself…but why make a blog instead of taking it to a local news station so that Emily can never do this again…unless Emily is running this blog to keep playing with people’s emotions! That is it!
Mayra- I think YOU’RE Emily!
We’re ALL Emily. OMG.
Why would Emily out herself? That doesnt make sense, she was about to make a shitload of money from her Eli hoax, I doubt she would put all that to waste by making it known she was doing a hoax.
Taryn, how do I go about joining the facebook group?
AJ, you friend me on Facebook and I’ll add you to the group.
Ok thanks I added you, think its the right person at least.
I like how she keeps referring to a bogus blog with just a few entries and no pics.
Me?
I think you people that have doubts are either in denile or are emily trying to cover up the whole thing. We know the person behind this blog and she has been great about giving out all of the info we need and helping us keep safe and not be tricked again.
After thinking about it, Mayraestela may be right. And trust me…Im not Emily, but the person running this blog sure seems like it. All you people have fallen under her spell, again! Im going to bring up this blog and this whole story to my local newstation, to uncover the truth after all.
Walk me through it. Why would Emily write a blog that offered proof she was a liar and a scam artist?
I was the first person I think, on the blog that Taryn and I both frequent, to voice suspicion about this “story.” It was Mother’s Day. I am a mother, though all my kids are grown now (thankfully, and one day you will all be here too, though I know some days it seems like it will never come!)
Another visitor at the site we both frequent posted this story. I thought it was horrendous. And I was immediately curious.
I Googled a small bit, and could find NOTHING about this family, or about Dana’s tragic death. Had a mother of 10 who was a surgeon and was pregnant with #11 been killed in a head-on wreck while pregnant with their 11th child as she was en route to the hospital to perform life-saving surgery…wouldn’t there have been some media coverage? ESPECIALLY ON MOTHER’S DAY?
And that she was hopelessly broken, but meanwhile her preemie daughter was ripped from her dying body and SURVIVED…doesn’t anyone who doubts wonder why this story wasn’t all over the news? REALLY?
I raised the questions, and then I went to bed. After I came home from work the next day, this site had exploded. I was not shocked, but sad, Sad that someone had done this.
That night, “Taryn” was there when I raised my suspicions. She and others Googled, and found what I had about this family…NOTHING.
Nothing that is, but a bunch of stolen pictures and a whole bunch of lies.
I was there at the start of all this. And I am irritated with anyone who thinks Taryn is making this up or lying.
Emily is a liar. Eli isn’t real. And I am sorry so many people have been hurt.
But heavens PLEASE, quit blaming Taryn. Blame me if you feel you must blame someone. I voiced my suspicions early on and asked others to search. I’m so glad they did.
You were the first! I googled it right away too then saw your comments being SkeptiGal about it 😉 I can handle the questioning but the logic behind it is a little confusing for me.
Anonymous- Prove to us YOU AREN’T Emily?
So is this it? Are there going to be more updates or did this just fizzle out? What’s the latest taryn?
Still trying to get in touch with people whose pictures were used. I have a couple more posts but no big exciting news.
As far as WE know there isn’t an “Emiy”!! Just someone who says there is..
Hi Emily!
This should be an exercise in freshman Philosophy class!
Hey Jackals, why not do some research before getting on here and spouting off your nonsense? People have been hurt by this, and Taryn is helping out. Quite frankly, if you are so convinced that this too is a hoax, may I suggest you put up or shut up. No one is forcing you to be here. No one is stopping you from going to the police or the news. By all means, go ahead. Heck, why not start your own blog and uncover all the mysteries, since you have it all figured out. Let us know how that goes.
I am guessing these doubters were not admitted into the fb group.
Read the whole blog, a lot of people had doubts, Taryn has more than proven herself.
It’s actually pretty common for blogs just like this to pop up after an internet hoax in uncovered. It gives people a common place to go for information and discuss feelings, updates, etc.. Were any of your around when the April Rose Fiasco was uncovered? There were several blogs created to discuss that big mess.
Yes! That’s her name! April Rose! I was wondering if Beccah Beuchausen was somehow involved in this hoax too. It really takes a special kind of demented to pull something like this off and honestly, the sheer enormity of the lies and – frankly, the number of facebook accounts involved. Goodness. So sad.
How many of these hoaxes has there been? Goodness- I thought this had to be such a rarity.