Claim: A 7-year-old girl named Amy Bruce is dying of lung cancer and a brain tumor.
Example:[Collected on the Internet, 1999]
Hi, my name is Amy Bruce. I am 7 years old, and I have severe lung cancer from second hand smoke. I also have a large tumor in my brain, from repeated beatings The doctors say I will die soon if this isn't fixed, and my family can't pay the bills. The Make A Wish Foundation, has agreed to donate 7 cents for every name on this list. For those of you who send this along, I thank you so much, but for those who don't send it, what goes around comes around. Have a Heart, please send this.
Origins: There
is no 7-year-old girl named Amy Bruce dying of lung cancer and a brain tumor brought on by "repeated beatings," nor will the Make-A-Wish Foundation donate money to anyone based upon the number of times an e-mail is forwarded. The "Amy Bruce" message is one of many variants of the same basic hoax, one which falsely claims that the American Cancer Society, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, or some other charitable or medical organization will donate a set amount of money every time a particular e-mail is forwarded.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation does not in any way assist in procuring medical treatment for sick children. They do work to grant the wishes of youngsters with life-threatening medical conditions, but the Make-A-Wish Foundation is about
"enriching the human experience with hope, strength, and joy" by helping to create special days for desperately ill children, not about collecting donations to pay for medical care.
The fictitious Amy Bruce is often credited with penning the "Slow Dance" poem which was actually written by an adult male child psychologist.
Additional information:
Chain Letters (Make-A-Wish Foundation)
Last updated: 25 September 2007
The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/medical/amybruce.asp
Sources:
