LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (LEX 18) — Rowan's cancer journey has been covered by LEX18 several times.
Monday, Rowan's mother Charlie Beasley reported seeing a GoFundMe that was using her son's pictures - and his story - to garner donations.
"I don't have the words for it, I've been a mixture of anger and shock all day," said Beasley.
She also saw a TikTok account that had 150,000 likes. All of the posts were videos and picture Beasley had posted on her social media.
"They were making these heartfelt posts that it was so difficult to see their child going through this, it was just so disturbing," said Beasley. "Pretending that they are struggling through this and they're just stealing from people."
The GoFundMe raised more than $3,600 in 5 days. LEX18 was notified Monday evening by GoFundMe the fundraiser had been taken down.
In a statement a spokesperson said:
“GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform. We take swift action against those who seek to take advantage of the generosity of our community and will cooperate with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing. The fundraiser was removed from the platform and all donors were refunded. The organizer has also been banned from using GoFundMe for any future fundraisers. Donors are protected by GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee, which offers a full refund in the rare case when something isn’t right.”
Rowan is doing well right now, and Beasley says he is her main focus.
"He's finally put on some weight, he's 31 pounds, and that's the biggest he's ever been," said Beasley. "It melts my heart how strong he is."
To see our previous coverage, click here. For his actual GoFundMe, click here.
