“How much did she spend?”
“300 dollars.”
“Oh my god! This family is so shameless!” Mary exclaimed.
“What happened?”
Mary quickly sent Sophia a link and angrily explained:
“This person has been fundraising on Instagram recently. A lot of people donated to them because the girl is so pretty and talented. She even posted many funny, cheerful videos, and everyone thought she was optimistic and bright, so they donated for her treatment. The first time they raised money, they collected 300,000 dollars in just three days! But then, her family apparently used the money for some questionable purposes and spent it all. Now, her mother is requesting donations again, claiming they need another 400,000 dollars for her second round of treatment.
“When I saw a photo of your clinic in their post, I got suspicious and decided to ask you. Do you know what they’re saying? Wood Kesha’s mom claimed they bought a secret cancer treatment formula from your clinic for over 30,000 dollars! She even said it was worth spending that much if it worked, and she portrayed their situation as so pitiful. If I didn’t know your clinic’s rates, I would’ve been fooled!”
Mary was fuming. She had sympathized with Wood Kesha, thinking that such a beautiful, gentle, optimistic, and humorous young woman had tragically developed lymphoma. Knowing that lymphoma is difficult to cure and has a high mortality rate, especially for someone her age, Mary had donated 1,000 dollars—her savings from several months of living expenses. She was even considering donating again until she saw Sophia’s clinic in the post and grew suspicious.
Sophia frowned deeply. “My clinic’s fees have always been low, practically nonprofit. I want even the poor to afford treatment. How could I possibly sell medicine for 30,000 dollars?”
“I told you! Dr. Sophia’s clinic is always affordable. When I had a cold last time, you gave me medicine for just five dollars, and it cured me! I’m so angry! I’m going to expose them!”
With that, Mary contacted Wood Kesha’s mother and messaged her on Instagram.
Two days later, Sophia noticed several influential bloggers on Instagram questioning whether Wood Kesha had been scamming donors. Many netizens reported that her parents had raised over 300,000 dollars on one platform and an additional 100,000 dollars elsewhere, including 10,000 dollars from a wealthy donor who admired Wood Kesha’s humor and optimism. Altogether, they had received over 500,000 dollars within a month.
Even in a big city, the cost of treatment shouldn’t be that high.
Suspicion grew, and at this point, Mary posted her own comments accusing Wood Kesha’s parents of fraudulent fundraising. She included screenshots of her WhatsApp conversation with Sophia, causing an uproar online.
Public opinion quickly turned, and it became clear to many that Wood Kesha and her family were indeed scamming donors.
The controversy over Wood Kesha’s fraudulent fundraising exploded online, with many people doubting whether she was even sick at all.
– *“Did she fake the hospital documents just to get donations?”*
– *“How could you manipulate everyone’s sympathy like that? Can you return all the money we donated?”*
– *“This is disgusting. Where did all that money go? Wood Kesha, explain yourself! People donated because they liked your videos and personality, but you didn’t even use the money for treatment, did you? You spent 300 dollars on medicine and claimed it cost 30,000? Seriously?”*
– *“I verified with the hospital—Wood Kesha didn’t even receive treatment there.”*
– *“I asked the hospital staff, and they said Wood Kesha left after raising the money and never stayed for treatment.”*
Within days, Wood Kesha’s Instagram account was flooded with accusations, and her video platform account was inundated with comments demanding an explanation. Everyone wanted to know: where did the money go?
—
A few days later, it was time for Wood Kesha to pick up her medicine, but Sophia had prepared the prescription only to find that she didn’t show up.
Sophia was puzzled. Wood Kesha wasn’t receiving modern medical treatment and wasn’t taking the prescribed traditional medicine either. Delaying treatment for lymphoma was dangerous. Unlike other cancers, lymphoma had a relatively low cure rate, especially for adults like Wood Kesha, whose prognosis was less favorable than that of children.
Feeling uneasy, Sophia asked Mary for details. Mary replied:
“I’ve visited her house before. It’s about an hour from here, in a rural area on the border of the next city. If you want to go, I can take you.”
Sophia frowned, reluctant to give up on her patient. She had even asked Wood Kesha on Whatsapp if the medicine had helped, and Wood Kesha had replied that it made her feel better and scheduled a time to pick up the next batch. So why didn’t she come? Sophia had a bad feeling.
The next day, Sophia drove Mary to the location. When Mary saw Sophia’s car, she exclaimed, “Dr. Sophia, you’re rich!”
Sophia laughed. “I’m not rich at all.”
“Who are you kidding? You’re well-off and still run a clinic on the mountain like it’s a charity. I really admire you!”
Sophia just smiled and kept driving. Soon, they arrived at Wood Kesha’s village.
The village was close to the city but far from wealthy.
When Sophia’s car stopped, Mary pointed. “It’s right here!”
Getting out of the car, they saw a house under construction. The first floor looked nearly finished, and the second floor was being framed. The structure was at least ten meters wide, with a high, spacious entryway—much grander than typical rural homes. Beside it were a few smaller, neatly built houses.
