6. What fake cancer looks like | Madison Russo

"On February 10th of 2022, quite possibly the worst day of my life occurred. I got the call from my oncologist and they found a mass on my pancreas and I had stage 2 pancreatic cancer at just 19 years old". 

Madison Russo loved to share her story. Perhaps, a little too much. 

 Sources –
1.  North Scott Press: Russo "I feel like I've been rocked to my soul"

2. NYPost: TikTok scammer pleads guilty 

3. kwqc.com: Cancer scam victims feel betrayed with Russo sentence

4. Huff Post: Madison Russo TikTok cancer theft

5. Youtube: clip 1

6. Youtube: clip 2

7. Mirror: TikTok cancer scammer sentenced to probation

8. People.com: Iowa woman who faked cancer online must pay restitution

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Transcript

Russo clip: [00:00:00] On February 10th of 2022, quite possibly the worst day of my life occurred. I got the call from my oncologist and they found a mass on my pancreas and I had stage 2 pancreatic cancer at just 19 years old. Scared is an understatement. I was terrified. And I definitely still am. But I'm really glad I went to my yearly health check, because it would have been so easy to just skip it and say I'm fine.

So please take my experience and get regular [00:01:00] lab work done, because the sooner you catch anything that is wrong, the better chance of outcome and survival you would have. And it really could save your life, like it did mine. It's a very lonely and isolating disease. So please, don't take for granted enjoying every moment in your life, even the little ones.

Host Odeya:  Almost 5, 500 people will be told today that they have cancer. 2024 will be the first time we see more than 2 million cases in the U. S. alone, and over 600, 000 of those will not beat the disease. I think I speak for everyone when I say, fuck cancer. We can hashtag it, run from it, run for it, but there's no escaping it.

Should you find yourself trapped down that scary hole, just know, you are not alone. There is a community out there for you with forums, websites, clubs and networks all at your disposal. All it takes is a few clicks. However in recent years, they have grown to be a tad sceptical about who they help, just so you know.[00:02:00]

You see there is a new breed of monster out there, one who feeds off your good nature and well wishes. who curate such captivating stories about their health that you wouldn't even think twice about the smaller details. Their manipulation drives you to forward their fabricated tale to others in the hopes they gain another follower or two.

Which makes it open season when the media gets involved, it only validates their story further. This taboo culture clings purely to a system where we don't ask personal questions. After all, what does one have to gain by falsifying a health condition? What possesses a person to stand amongst the sick and label the same for themselves?

Perhaps a leap of faith will warrant the truth. Until then I advise those who practice this way of life to keep their fingers crossed. I'm Host Odeya . This is uncharitable.

Fun fact. Biotin, also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H, has long been praised as [00:03:00] the secret to clear complexion, strong nails and healthy hair. It's the darling of the cosmetic industry. Boosts the label and sales when the name is on its packaging. Many believe it can promote healthy hair growth, so you'll find it included in a wide range of shampoos, masks, conditioners and oils.

But just so you know, biotin can't penetrate the skin, so you will quite literally wash money down the drain. A quick google search will also tell you. It's pretty pointless to take it as a daily vitamin too. There's no harm, but biotin already naturally occurs in foods like liver, egg yolks, nuts and avocados.

It's much more enjoyable to spread it on toast too. 

Guess it's a pretty hard sell after some home trues, but people will try and sell you anything if you're gullible enough. Biotin was just one detail used to spin a poorly constructed web of lies. A shameless act that not only fooled a community of caregivers, family members and online supporters, but rotted the honesty system between a patient and a charity.

Perhaps if people had spotted the signs [00:04:00] earlier, this cancerous swindle could have been cut out before it spread. What a foolish thing to say.

Madison Russo was sitting in her accounting class at Ambrose University when her cell phone rang. It was Thursday, February 10th, 2022, when her life was turned upside down. Excusing herself from her class, Maddy answered the phone. It was Iowa City Oncology Department. She had been expecting this call.

Throughout the winter, Maddy had been feeling a little off. The sporadic fevers, some bloody stools, and random nosebleeds pushed her to seek answers at her annual blood check up. Her white blood cell count was not in normal range, so Maddie was sent to Iowa's Oncology Department for further testing.

Quote, They told me they had found a mass on my pancreas and that I had stage 2 pancreatic cancer. I was terrified. Maddie was so young. It didn't make sense. How could this happen to an 18 year old college student? [00:05:00]

Wiping away her tears, Maddie returned to class, determined to carry on as normal. She was determined to maintain her impressive 3. 85 GPA, a little cancer wasn't going to change that. 

Four days later Maddy transitioned into warrior mode to begin her battle. She began with 15 rounds of oral chemotherapy and 90 rounds of radiation. I was given an 11 percent survival rate for five years, she told the Northcott press. My tumor was very deep rooted, so surgery is not an option. There was more risk than reward. 

Wow, that's unbelievable. Guess this would be the time to tell your loved ones and maybe a few friends about your situation, right? Maddy had a less intimate idea than that. On March 12th, she posted on Instagram, announcing her intentions to document her journey. Through videos, she would recap what's happening to keep everyone in the loop.

This way, she could revisit those videos later, for cherished evidence. Sorry, memories. It was totally out of her comfort zone, but heck with it, because life's too short. 

Here's a [00:06:00] day in the life of Madison Russo. 

Russo clip: It's been a little even for a week, um, in the cancer world. Eventful is not good. Um, I'd rather have an uneventful week because it means you're kind of just coasting along.

But, um, I've had a little bump in the road. So, it's my week off chemo. So, I've just been doing, um, radiation. However, I've kind of came down with this fever. It's been really weird because I don't, I don't feel like I don't really have like cold or, um, like sore throat, any of the other symptoms. Um, I don't have COVID.

I don't have any of that. I just have this like nagging fever and kind of just like that feeling of being like, you know, like run down and stuff like that. Um, so finally I got labs taken and, um, my lab results came back. yesterday afternoon. Um, and it showed that my, [00:07:00] um, ANC and white blood counts, um, those two like run together, um, was really low and it's most likely coming off of the chemo from last week.

Um, and then, you know, your immune system is so weak because you have like no immune system when you're going through treatment. Um, so then I, have a fever and it's kind of explaining and hopefully that's the full cut answer. 

Odeya: It wasn't long before the tumour already showed signs of shrinking. Hashtag fuck cancer.

But a secondary twist showed it had seeped into her bloodstream, confirming a second diagnosis of leukaemia. Coughing up blood, continuous coughs, severe headaches, vomiting, and a total yucky feeling from the chemo. Meant that Maddie needed to get a PET scan and a bone marrow biopsy earlier than originally scheduled at the end of May.

It wasn't exactly what someone wanted [00:08:00] to hear on their birthday, but she was grateful for trusting her gut once again. And furthermore, Maddie had no intentions of submitting to this. She had things to do, to achieve. Quote, “God says my work is not done yet, and I must keep fighting as there is no other choice”.

With the semester wrapping up, and graduation on the horizon, The 18 year old soldiered on and completed her course with the predicted 3. 85 GPA before landing her dream internship at John Deere. While most struggle to find balance when starting a new career under normal circumstances, Maddie refused to be held back, even finding the time to hit the green with friends and family for a few rounds of golf.

When needing time to herself, she would go on a run to help with the doubt lingering in the back of her mind. Sure, it was not going to be fun all the time, but that's life, she would remind herself. A few weeks after graduation, the teen had to pause treatment when oncologists discovered her medication was affecting her liver.

I was nervous because I was off the chemo and didn't want it to get any worse, [00:09:00] Maddie admitted. And as if things couldn't get any worse, her PET scan revealed a football sized tumor wrapped around her spine. What are the chances? This was tough to hear. Everything had spiralled out of control yet again when it was thought that progress had been made.

But what could she do? Luckily, an entire online community related to her hardships. Health tip exchanges and virtual networking meant that Maddie was soon pumping out advice of her own. Her content would range from inspiring quotes to fortune cookie, advice she claimed help with the side effects. When questioned on why her hair still looks so good despite having chemo, she would put it down to luck, her brand of chemo and due, guessed it.

Russo clip: Happy Easter, everybody. Oh my gosh, I could not believe it's Easter. Um, I'm glad it's Easter because that means I can start to see the finish line until I finish. um, chemo radiation and get rechecked. And something I wanted to share was how I've been keeping my hair, um, during treatment with chemo and radiation.

But I will say the main thing probably is the [00:10:00] brand of chemo I'm on. So, I take oral chemo, so it's chemo pills. And the brand of chemo I do take, um, it's, uh, it's more so not hair loss, it's hair thinning. Um, found this and recommended this. It's, uh, It's, it's by the brand HERS, like H E R S, um, it's on TV commercials a lot.

My mom found this, um, it's biotin with collagen and keratin, um. You heard it here first, link in bio. Just kidding. In a more sensitive video, Maddie explained her desire to freeze her eggs for forever down the road, if she was even granted that. For peace of mind, she wanted to do the flexible procedure once a month, to ensure she can get as many eggs as possible, to quote, Do what normal people do, and become a mum one day.

Cubator freezer thing, um, it's kind of cool, I don't know, it's weird that like, my eggs are just sitting in some medical freezer, and if I need them down the road, [00:11:00] um, I can just go and get them, like, it's how bizarre. But anyways, um, that is the big thing for this week, so. So, I'm going to do that, hoping to get a good turnout with all of the eggs.

Hopefully I get more, and uh, it just kind of, you know, is a peace of mind. Because, um, obviously I never thought about when I was diagnosed, about like, what could be impacted in my future, and one of it being kids, you know. Like, I, um, Obviously, when I'm older, I want to be a mom someday. I want to just, you know, do what normal people do.

And, um, this is a really good way, though, to make sure that, um, that everything is, you know, we're just, we're playing it safe. And I'm thankful that my doctors, um, coordinate with each other to, um, make it the easiest and kind of most effective [00:12:00] process for me. Um, so very thankful for that. And, um, Yeah, just a little update.

So this week is just a little different, but typically I think I can do the egg removals like once a month. So, um, if I want to keep doing them, just to keep being safe, I can keep doing them if I want to stop. The procedure, it's a little painful, but hopefully it's pretty quick. Fingers crossed for that.

And then I am just done and on my way. So, um, just a little update for you guys. Thanks. 

Odeya: Her own mum was right by her side to hold her hand, but Maddie's independence kept her at arm's length. Something Peggy Russo struggled to understand. Quote, I've never met her doctors. I've asked 74336788 times, (her words), to please let me learn about this and help you. She didn't have to do it alone but she insisted, she told a friend. 

Sorry mum but you don't understand. Maddie needed people who were going through the exact [00:13:00] same things to meet on her level, and it didn't take long before she latched onto some of them. 

An introduction for a friend saw Maddie introduced to Blaine Kernan, a paraplegic who, after a tragic accident, endured a spinal cord injury.

After connecting on social media, the pair clicked when they learned they had both worked for John Deere and shared a passion for golf. Maddie praised his zest for life and described Blaine as a breath of fresh air, despite the hardships. 

Friendship number two was found with fellow cancer fighter, Charlie ElPelding. Charlie was battling Ewing's sarcoma for the second time in her short life when her and Maddie became friendly. Living just minutes away meant the girls felt more at home sharing their thoughts and concerns through messages, which boosted each other's spirits between the girls strikingly similar rounds of treatment.

So when Charlie passed away on October 10th, 2022, Maddie was left heartbroken, heading straight to LinkedIn to share her sorrows. 

Quote, This just absolutely breaks my heart. Charlie and I would text each other daily, talking about all the ups and downs of both our battles with [00:14:00] cancer, and she was seriously just a sweet, genuine soul.We could relate to each other 100%. My last texting conversation was just one day before she earned our wings. 

But the grieving process would have to wait. Just days later, the team was invited to speak at Party for a Cure Chicago on behalf of the National Pancreas Foundation. 

She would share her story before presenting four awards to inspiring individuals who, just like her, had contributed to the pancreatic cancer community.

Her natural gift for public speaking secured her opportunities with various charities, including a feature on the Project Purple podcast, which collected and shared survivor stories. 

Let's have a listen. 

Purple Project Podcast: How would you define the term pancreatic cancer? Um, the first word that comes to mind is just ugly.

You know, it's an ugly disease. It's nasty. It's, um, it's very just aggressive and, you know, it wants to just kill everything. But at the same time, I think I would, [00:15:00] um, describe it as kind of like, Like a, I don't know, like ever changing because it, it changes you as a person, and I guess I'm kind of going into like the spiritual side of it a little bit, but like, yeah, when I can, like, it truly changes you.

Like, I feel like I'm a whole different person than from when I was, you know, before February, like, just my outlook on life and, um, I know it affects far away too many people. And, uh, we talked about the, the funding isn't, you know, it isn't there. And I think, um, more advocating needs to be done and that's, that's why I do it.

Odeya: That was true. Cancer doesn't get a funding hall pass. In corporate America, big pharma depends on the sick, so you better provide the capital if you wanna live to see another day. Luckily, Friend Tom Bouland had a solution. A GoFundMe page allowed the teen to receive financial assistance and provide further updates to the 439 people who donated.

Acquaintances of the Russo family were eager to contribute as well. [00:16:00] Peggy Orl, who established the Orl Strong Foundation in memory of her late husband Brent, another pancreatic cancer victim, was known to the family after Maddy's mom graduated from high school with Brent, even sharing the same birthday.

Peggy immediately inundated the team with support materials. including a $500 visa gift card before contacting a local newspaper to feature her story. She also offered to go out for coffee or provide a shoulder to cry on, but Maddie always politely declined. 

However, not before attending the charity's tailgate fundraiser. Pictures show Maddie proudly standing next to Peggy in a self branded All Foundation sweater accompanied with a brown wig. 

There was always time for a photo op. 

She also received help from Rhonda Miles from the Nikki Mitchell Foundation, which provided comfort and relief to pancreatic cancer patients.

Rhonda insisted on getting a second opinion for the teen, and arranged to have her medical records seen by a renowned pancreatic surgeon, and even provided emotional support for her mum during the more difficult times. 

However, by January [00:17:00] 9th, an update posted to GoFundMe informed the supporters that Maddie's cancer had worsened, spreading all over her body, including throughout her blood and on her spine.

Despite trying everything and giving it her all, the radiation and chemo were no longer effective. So it was time for a different route altogether. A new drug being tested in a clinical trial offered some hope, although the process would be lengthy, potentially taking years. 

Except, that was simply not true, was it Maddie?

You see, in the last few months medical professionals had noticed something a little off themselves with Maddie. 

Strange details about her story and certain social media posts highlighted alarming inaccuracies in the placement of her medical equipment, posing serious life threatening risks. Pictures showed tubes irregularly placed on her body, and chest ports haphazardly secured with what appeared to be regular scotch tape.

TikToker Arielle Lee was quick to warn others not to attempt the practice when she pointed out madie was pictured inserting a G tube feeding line into a chest port, which if you did [00:18:00] would,  “end your life”. 

Seeking further confirmation brought the professionals to Scott Campbell, editor of the Northcott Press, who failed to provide any evidence that the teen had ever been diagnosed with cancer, 

quote, I knew this girl from when she was in high school, so I didn't even think twice about it, said Campbell. While tragic, it was something he had covered countless times in his 40 year career, so how could anyone stoop so low? 

That was all the conclusive evidence they required. Aside from her obvious healthy appearance, her story appeared to be lifted straight from Dr. Google. 

After sitting down with Elridge Police Department, Their findings led to securing a search warrant from Maddie's records.

Can you take a guess what they found? 

Although Maddie was a patient, she had never been treated for any cancers or tumours.

 A further dive into her online activities revealed that she had also stolen photos from actual cancer patients to further fabricate her story. 

On Instagram, an image of Maddie on a hospital bed, appearing exhausted with her face covered by a black mask, was [00:19:00] reverse searched to identify that the actual patient was 20 year old Jessica Sanders.

Jessica was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer, going through chemotherapy and stem cell transplants whilst documenting her journey along the way, even having t shirts designed to raise money for cancer research. 

When Sanders learned that her images were used in the scam, she told KWQC TV, quote, I was very vulnerable, and she exploited that.I feel violated. What she is accused of is so hurtful and offensive to anyone that goes through cancer. 

Other self-incriminating pictures showed Russo supposedly hooked up to a machine that appeared to be connected to a three pin plug, while others showed separate blood transfusions with different blood types labelled on the bags.

And let's not forget about the Biotin with collagen and keratin. 

To corroborate her claim of hair loss, the grifter shared an image of chopped hair in the sink. However, a closer look clearly appeared to be trimmings from a routine haircut. On January 23rd, Russo was arrested outside her [00:20:00] classroom and charged with theft by means of deception, a Class C felony.

When police raided her apartment, they seized a brown wig, IV pole connected to a feeding pump filled with cotton balls, nausea medication in a relative's name, cash and a kia Sportage. 

Scott County later went back and seized $33, 000 from three separate bank accounts whilst Maddie spent a lengthy four hours in jail before being released on a $10, 000 bond paid by friend and fan Tom Bouland.

As the scheme unravelled, news of her arrest spread quickly online, prompting angry supporters to comment on her deceit. 

Story coach Joe Tower, whose wife suffered from the same blood cancer Maddie claimed to have had, expressed his frustrations on LinkedIn for falling for the teenager's lies. Given his personal connection to the illness, Joe stated, quote, “My wife connected with Maddie. We cheerlead her. Commiserated with her. Amplified her message and supported her GoFundMe”.

Others, who initially questioned themselves upon seeing Maddie effortlessly navigate her treatments in between playing rounds [00:21:00] of golf and gliding on 5K runs, slandered her shameful actions, adding, quote, “She can take my illness if she wants attention”.

Peggy Orl was stunned to learn about Maddie's actions too. In a statement on her charity's Facebook page, she wrote of her dismay, quote, “The Dr. Brent Ohl Pancreatic Cancer Support and Awareness Team is saddened to hear that one of our recipients in 2022 has been charged with forgerantly accepting assistance from our fund. Our goal has and continues to provide financial support to 100 percent of the pancreatic cancer patients in our community”. 

David Bakelman, CEO of the National Pancreas Foundation felt the same, quote, “The charity does not condone the actions of Maddie Russo regarding her deceit to forgerantly secure donors of her false cancer diagnosis.There are thousands of patients, families, and caregivers battling this terrible disease and Ms. Russo's actions have taken away valuable resources from these patients”. 

Days later, GoFundMe closed Russo's account and banned her from the site claiming they had a zero tolerance [00:22:00] policy for the misuse on their platform and promised to reimburse anyone who donated to the fundraiser.

Rusu's social media accounts also vacated the web but snappy internet sleuths swiftly saved and repurposed her content under the new caption hashtag #thisiswhatfakecancerlookslike. 

On February 28th, Maddie filed a not guilty plea through her attorney at Scott County District Court but later retracted and submitted a guilty plea on June 14th, facing up to 10 years in prison.

Throughout the trial it was mentioned that what started as a little lie to bring her family back together completely spiralled out of control. She was not acting out of criminality, greed or anger, nor wished to cause harm to any organisations. No, this was a mere childish Disney fantasy with a fairy tale ending, except her loyal subjects were just mere pawns left out of pocket with a sour distrusting taste in their mouths.

With every donation to her GoFundMe page, Russo claimed that she felt sick. She didn't know how to navigate or handle the situation. 

Quote, “I beat [00:23:00] myself up the whole of last year in silence because I didn't know how to tell anybody what was going on, and after my arrest in January, I continue to beat myself up as well. I realize that I can't undo the past, but that doesn't mean I can't walk away from this experience as a better human being and move forward”. End quote. 

State Prosecutor Kelly Cunningham appeared to be won over by her sob story, agreeing with the plea deal, highlighting that Russo had a check with the full restitution amount in hand when she herself took the deal.

Quote. “Ms. Russo talked about the dynamic in her family, and her family pulling apart, and her need to try and bring them back together. Families come together when someone has an illness, unfortunately. It started on a path where she was encouraged to start a GoFundMe page. It was difficult to conceive how a young lady, Ms.Russo's age, found herself in this position. It was disturbing”.

I guess the charm was still in motion, but with all due disrespect, Ms. Russo, your victims saw it differently. 

First to the stand was the dissatisfied Peggy Orrell, [00:24:00] who immediately slammed the state for their lenient approach towards Russo, before addressing the court with a statement.

Quote, “I never imagined someone so callously would fake they had such a devastating cancer such as pancreatic cancer, and willingly accept our gift of love and kindness and lie directly to my face. My heart was broken in disbelief. I gave her our packet without thinking twice. I checked up on her over the course of the year, I asked how she was doing, and asked if she wanted to go and get coffee or something.

At our tailgate event, she wore our branded sweatshirt that had her name on it, and those who also fought pancreatic cancer. Many of them have since died. She stood in front of me with her wig on, knowing she was not sick at all. I questioned myself for not getting something in writing stating her diagnosis, but I had never done that with anyone before. I feel terribly guilty for forwarding any sort of legitimacy to her story”. 

Next up was Rhonda Miles. Her gaze never left Maddie's eyes once placed on the stand. It was hard to miss the pure rage in her tone as she hyper [00:25:00] focused on her speech. She too agreed about the state's defence. 

Quote, “The biggest thing our foundation is known for is patient assistance, financial and emotional.We had patients on the waiting list while we were working with Madison to try and get her records so we could help her. Real patients, patiently waiting. I used a precious ass, Madison. I used a precious ass with the world's best pancreas surgeon to get you a second opinion, and that's hard to get. And you took that away from a deserving cancer patient.It's disgusting”. 

Dismissing Rhonda from the witness stand, Judge John Thielen acknowledged the court found Maddie's actions to be motivated by greed and social media fame. He himself wasn't so confident in this theory, but it was abundantly clear that this was not a momentary lapse of judgment, as her Defence claimed, 

Quote.”Through the scheme, you deceived your friends, your family, your community, other cancer victims, charities, and strangers who were motivated by your supposedly tragic [00:26:00] story to donate and help support you. You appeared in interviews and social media. You made many appearances along the way. You could have stopped, you did not stop until you were caught.End quote”.

That being said, the judge accepted the plea deal, sentencing Madison to a 10 year suspended prison sentence with three years of probation but denied a deferred judgment which would have wiped her conviction from her record once she completed her terms. 

Quote, “people who deal with her in the future should know she once engaged in a criminal scheme and that serious crimes must have serious consequences’. End quote.

The judge also ordered 100 hours of community service. The already paid restitution of $39,385 and a $1,375 fine to cover court costs. 

Through the sobs Maddie acknowledged her wrongdoings, 

quote, “I'm incredibly sorry. If there was anything I could do to take it back I would, but the reality is I can't”.

What a slap in the face. 

Outside of court Rhonda Miles still [00:27:00] held a grudge against the prosecuting attorney. They were good on drugs and guns but they really suck with this case. 

Quote, “this needs to hang over her for a long time, I'm disappointed in her, I'm really disappointed in her, this is not a deterrent, it's a green light, if I had that mentality, if I heard someone just got a slap on the wrist, that would give me the green light to do whatever I wanted”, end quote.

Behind her, attempting to slither out of sight was Peggy Russo. When confronted, her main concern was to defend her family's status that Maddie had just dragged through the mud. 

Quote, “Anyone who knows me and my children know that they had a good life growing up. But once a child turns 18, the choices they make are theirs.

Thanks for listening. Uncharitable was created by me, Host Odyea, with the vision to illuminate the unethical shadows within philanthropy. 

As an independent [00:28:00] podcaster, I need all the help I can get, even if it's a discount code for miracle hair growth pills. 

So if you like the show, consider contributing to the community by following us on Instagram or leaving a review.

For further reading about the story, I've included sources in my show notes as well as extra content on my blog. Until next time.