BETTENDORF, Iowa (KWQC) – At 20 years old, Jessica Sanders of California learned she was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer.
Sanders took a leave from college and underwent harsh chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant last year.
Throughout her treatment, she decided to document her journey on social media, saying she wanted to show people the hard truth. She also created her own t-shirts.
While she received words of encouragement, she did not expect someone to steal her photos and use them to claim a cancer diagnosis for monetary donations. However, according to Eldridge police, that is exactly what happened.
Madison Russo, 19, of Bettendorf was charged with theft after police say she received over $37,000 in donations for a false cancer claim.
Sanders has never met Russo and does not know how she found her photos.
In a statement to TV6, Sanders wrote, “I was shocked to find out someone used my images falsely for their personal gain. Survivorship is very difficult emotionally and this really hit me hard. I was very vulnerable and she exploited that, I feel violated. I am so offended that she used me and others and allegedly lied about cancer. It also appears that she gave out false information and hope about how she saved her hair during treatment. Cancer patients are vulnerable and if someone is online claiming good results, they might try it not knowing it’s all a lie. What she is accused of doing is so hurtful and offensive to anyone that went through…
