Donation scam adds to family's heartbreak over son's battle with leukemia
A mother whose son is battling an aggressive type of leukemia says someone is taking advantage of her family's situation by fraudulently soliciting donations.
"I think it's absolutely despicable that somebody, anybody, would manipulate a situation and take advantage of both the public's care and concern and the public's generosity and of our situation," said Lia Weekes.
"I feel that we've had more than enough of our share of heartbreak so far in watching our child undergo intense chemotherapy and fight for his life."
The family has been urging bone marrow donors of mixed ethnicities to come forward in the hopes of finding a match for their six-year-old son, Joshua.
Weekes says a family member alerted her on May 7 to a woman who was soliciting funds at a booth in front of a Superstore in Port Coquitlam, B.C., claiming she was representing Canadian Blood Services.
"Canadian Blood Services had been ...very good about communicating all of their efforts and all of the drives that were coming up to the family — and this was something that we had zero awareness of," Weekes said.
When Weekes went to see the woman at the store, details didn't add up.
She says the woman first told her she was working with CBS. Then she said she was a volunteer, and her posters were made by downloading images of Weekes son from the Internet.
Weekes says the credit card reader attached to the woman's phone was "a huge red flag."
"It didn't feel right," she said.
Police have confirmed they're looking into the incident. They say it's not clear what the women intends to do with the money she's collecting.
Family 'holding tight'
Meanwhile, Weekes says Joshua is "holding up fairly well" after his third round of chemotherapy.
"He's definitely showing that he's a trooper," she said.
For now, the family is "holding tight" as they wait for his white blood cell counts to return before doctors proceed with a bone marrow transplant.
"We're still praying every night and hopeful for a match," said the mother who has been told by doctors that her son's situation remains urgent.
Weekes is of Filipino and British origins while her husband has an Icelandic and Caribbean background. While Joshua's parents haven't been ruled out as potential matches, physicians told Weekes that Joshua's chances are better with an external donor.
