A Parent's Plea: Shaving Their Healthy Child's Eyebrows and Wrapping Them in Bandages... "They Have Cancer"

A couple in Australia was arrested by the police on charges of fabricating their young child's cancer battle to raise nearly 50 million won. On the 16th (local time), Australia News.com reported, "A couple who claimed their 6-year-old son had cancer and set up a crowdfunding page to request donations for treatment costs were arrested by the police."

A photo of a couple dressing their child like a cancer patient. Screenshot from Australian news.com.

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It was reported that the couple asked a hairstylist colleague to shave their son's hair and eyebrows to make it appear as if the child had cancer. They also wrapped bandages around their son's leg and placed him in a wheelchair.

After creating a crowdfunding page to raise hospital fees, they posted photos of the child and claimed he had "Stage 1 ocular cancer." As a result, about 60,000 Australian dollars (approximately 50 million won) was raised in a short period. Friends, family, and parents from the private school their son attended also participated in the fundraising.

The fake cancer they fabricated is presumed to be retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is a type of cancer that occurs in children under the age of five. Hereditary retinoblastoma usually has a family history, and if one parent carries the mutation, the chance of the child developing cancer is as high as 50%.

However, it was discovered that the child was not undergoing cancer treatment, and the couple was arrested on the 15th. They were each charged with harmful and deceptive acts and appeared in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court that day. If found guilty, they face up to seven years in prison. A local police official said, "The fact that parents committed such acts against their child is an extremely malicious and cruel act."

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