The Woman Who Lied about Cancer

Many of you may already know about this case, but it is one that captured my imagination. This is the story of Belle Gibson and his she scams millions, grifted Apple, and possibly killed people. This aussie Sheila's life began in Launceston, Tasmania. Here, she proved to be a problem child and by the time she was 12 she ran away from home to live with a classmate. This living arrangement didn't last for long because she eventually moved in with a family friend. Rebellious, obstreperous, and stubborn, there was nothing her parents could do to set her on the straight path. She attended Wynnum State High School in Manly, Queensland, until dropping out in Year 10 (she would later claim she was homeschooled, but as you'll learn this should be taken with a grain of salt).

As Belle grew up she moved to different parts of Australia and eventually crossed paths with the skating scene. Here, she found a home with outsiders. But, as we all know, skateboards are bad boys and by 18 Belle fell pregnant. This would not spell the end of Belle's career and she decided to flex her entrepreneurial muscles by opening an app called The Whole Pantry. Now make no mistake, The Whole Pantry was widely successful. It made over $1 million in sales and she scored an exclusive deal with Apple. But what made this book so popular?

Health Complications

Well, Belle Gibson was no ordinary child. She was suffering from several serious, life-threatening ailments. She claimed to have malignant brain, blood, spleen, uterine, liver, and kidney cancers. Not long after, she claimed that the cancer had reached her liver and kidneys, and soon after she made the unfortunate announcement that her cancer had spread to her brain, blood, spleen, and uterus. Clearly, this was a dead woman walking. Doctors tried the best to help her, so much so that she momentarily died during heart surgery. Oh, she also had a stroke, just in case you were curious.

Despite the deck being stacked against her, Gibson survived and is now healthy as can be! How did she do it? Well, she gave the middle finger to conventional treatment methods and decided to attempt to try alternate methods to cure herself. One of the methods she recommended to her fans is Gerson Therapy. In case you're unaware, Gerson Therapy involves coffee enemas and a highly restricted plant-based diet. Of course, none of this is supported by science.

Belle Gibson the Philanthropist

With all the money Gibson was raking in, it only stood to reason that she would donate it to those in need. After all, she understood what it meant to feel desperate. Hence, she promised to donate a percentage of her book's proceeds to charity. At this point, Gibson may seem like a good person, but things are about to change.

Legal Consequences

So there are almost too many lies to uncover. Let's start from the top. She was not homeschooled. Around the time The Whole Pantry was released, the public started investigated her and found that she went by many aliases. Belle defended herself by stating that her mother changed her name five times. Hmmm.... It was also found that was three years younger than she claimed to be. A journ*list questions her about it and the results are hilarious.

Legal Consequences

After investigation, it was found that she had not donated the money that she promised to. In 2017, Gibson was fined Gibson was fined $410,000 which she did not pay. To this day, she has not paid this debt. Don't feel sorry for her, she is frequently seen on expensive vacations, indicating she has plenty of money to blow.

Of course, there were legal consequences as well. Apple pulled The Whole Pantry from the shelves. Furthermore, Penguin was forced to pay A$30,000 to the Victorian Consumer Law Fund as a penalty for failing to validate the factual content of the book.

Lastly, it is worth considering how many lives she took. People with cancer are desperate to live. They'll take anything that gives them hope. Belle Gibson gave them that hope, and then led them down a path that would surely lead to their death. That makes her an evil frick.

Here's the whole interview, it's hilarious. She's a pathological liar.