A shocking case has surfaced in Indiana, where a mother is accused of fabricating her daughter’s terminal illness to solicit donations and secure a Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World.
Court documents reveal that she also failed to properly renew her child’s medical prescriptions, raising serious concerns about neglect.
False Claims Lead to Donations and Charity Support
Katherine Jackson, 41, allegedly exaggerated the severity of her daughter’s medical condition.
She claimed the young girl suffered from both Pilarowski-Bjornsson Syndrome (PBS) and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), telling donors that her daughter experienced “80 to 90 seizures a day” and had only months to live.
Jackson launched a GoFundMe campaign in 2021, which raised over $1,600.
]Her claims also caught the attention of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which offered to send her daughter to Disney World.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trip was canceled.
Instead, the charity Give Kids the World Village organized a parade and a birthday party for 200 guests at the girl’s home.
They even arranged for a professional photo shoot where she dressed up as Elsa from Frozen, fulfilling one of her dreams.
Medical Concerns and Investigation
In 2022, Jackson spoke to local news station WANE, reinforcing her claim that her daughter was terminally ill. “Ultimately, she has months left with us.
That’s what doctors say,” she stated at the time.
“She’s dying in front of us, but it doesn’t bother her. She just wants to color.”
However, when Jackson took her daughter to the hospital a few weeks later, medical staff grew suspicious.
Doctors reviewing her medical history found inconsistencies, including the fact that Jackson had not been properly refilling her daughter’s prescriptions.
Concerns were raised about possible medical child abuse due to the girl’s reported seizures and irregular heart rate.
No Terminal Diagnosis, Children Taken into Care
A doctor later confirmed that while the child does suffer from PBS, the condition is chronic, not terminal.
Following two hospital visits, both the girl and her sibling were placed into foster care. Their new guardians reported to authorities that neither child was toilet trained or enrolled in school when they took them in.
They also noted developmental delays, particularly in speech.
Legal Trouble for the Mother
As a result of the investigation, Jackson has been charged with one count of fraud and two counts of neglect.
A court date has yet to be scheduled, and details about her legal representation remain unavailable.
Meanwhile, Make-A-Wish has been approached for comment but has not yet responded.
This case serves as a troubling reminder of the lengths some individuals may go to for financial or personal gain, potentially putting vulnerable children at risk in the process.
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