Shocked and betrayed

The news broke today that someone I thought was a friend was arrested and charged with fraud for accepting money raised by friends to fund her experimental cancer treatments. She's been accused of lying about having a rare cancer and needing those treatments.

I met her at a cancer support group and I thought she was one of the most poised, strong, sincere people I'd ever met. After reading the article and thinking about it, I can see how people drew the conclusions they did since there were some inconsistencies in what she said. I didn't think much of them because I didn't know every detail of her life.

I feel shocked and devastated and betrayed that she might have lied to me on this level. I also feel foolish because I looked up to her, I admired her, and I tried to emulate her as far as dealing with cancer goes. I feel like the rug has been pulled out from underneath me. I don't dislike or hate her, however; if she really did perpetrate this huge fraud then she must have a serious mental illness. That's not an excuse, of course.

It's possible that the whole thing wasn't a lie; that she really did have that cancer at one time and she lied about having it later. Or maybe the whole thing is one giant lie. Time will tell.