Last year, mom Lindsey Abbuhl accepted an appearance on her local news channel, where she spoke about her ten-year-old daughter’s terminal illness. Her family, friends as well as other members of the public, including local sports teams, donated cash and gifts to help Abbuhl care for her sick little girl. Now, the eleven-year-old girl is miraculously better. But it wasn’t the generous donations that helped turn her life around – it turned out that her mother had lied about terminal illness.
Authorities have gone so far as to assert that Abbuhl lied about the illness and tricked her daughter, who is no longer being named, into believing that she was sick and going to die. The little girl allegedly even went through counseling to come to terms with her own inevitable death.
Since this story broke, the girl, now eleven, has been taken out of her mother’s home and placed into temporary protective custody under the Stark County Department of Job and Family Service. Investigators claim that Abbuhl received thousands of dollars in sympathy donations from those she tricked with the scheme.
During an interview in February, Abbuhl explained that her daughter had gotten very sick and could no longer live life normally.
“Her doctors were concerned that the sport was a little bit too physical for her with her medical condition,” Lindsey Abbuhl told FOX8 during the Canton, Ohio interview.
However, Abbuhl said that her daughter’s dreams to play softball in high school and college would never manifest because the child was dying of a terminal illness.
“So we had to make the tough decision last year that she was going to walk away and not be able to play anymore,” she told FOX8.
The girl’s imaginary condition affected her nervous system. According to mom, the girl’s brain would eventually shut down and quit working on her.
However, documents submitted to the court by the Stark County Department of Job and Family Services claim that the girl’s diagnosis was unsupported. Instead, mom invented the girl’s illness “to obtain trips, housing, and other expenses over the last several years.”
“After a thorough review of the girl’s medical records… The medical professional indicates there is no evidence to support the mother’s claim that (the girl) is terminally ill.”
The complaint stated the girl “Has been engaged in counseling for the past three years to learn how to ‘process her own death.’”
When the girl’s counselor was leaving on maternity leave, Abbuhl told her that her daughter might no longer be alive upon her return to work.
Because of the girl’s story, Malone University invited the daughter to throw out the first pitch during a scrimmage against Walsh University. On Monday, a university spokesperson told FOX8, “Our actions were consistent with the ethos of our Christian community as we attempted to help a family in need. As other details emerge surrounding the family, they do not change our intent and desire to do the right thing and show kindness to (the girl) and those who love her.”
Abbuhl also stands accused of creating a GoFundMe account where she raised more than $4,000.
What do you think about this mother’s alleged tricks?