This is why I can’t trust anything any more.
A while back, a friend of mine alerted me to a YouTube video in which someone told the plight of Kristie Tunick, a Las Vegas woman who suffers from a very rare disorder. Here’s my original blog post on the topic.
Now I’m finding out that there’s more to this story than meets the eye. And sadly, if what has come up is true, we all may have been taken for an emotional left hook.
Start by watching this YouTube clip first. This was the viral video that started the ball rolling; it’s a video of Las Vegas makeup artist Kandee Johnson talking about the plight of Kristie Tunick and her dedicated boyfriend Brian Mendenhall. I should note that the original copy of this video was removed from Kandee Johnson’s YouTube account; this is a mirrored copy of same.
Johnson’s YouTube video inspired others to post similar YouTube videos of support for Tunick’s plight.
But now there are some other videos surfacing. And they look like this.
And that video references this Facebook account, which is called “Is Kristie Tunick a con artist?”
Here’s another YouTube video.
I’m not liking this at all.
Not one bit.
See, I have a very good friend who is suffering from several medical conditions – and is currently struggling to get any sort of independent health insurance. And to see my good friend suffer, yet still remain brave and positive and motivated through all this – while at the same time, I find what looks like cyber-begging for money to be used for anything other than a mysterious and possibly non-existent medical malady – absolutely infuriates me.
I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like I was taken for a ride, and that my blog may have unintentionally perpetuated this hoax. To that end, I apologize to you, my readers.
And what makes it worse for me – the next time I read about someone who is suffering from a life-threatening condition and wants people to publicize their struggle, in the hope of finding the one medical professional who can cure their ailment, I’m now less likely to say, “I will help you by publicizing your plight on my weblog,” and more likely to say, “Yeah right. You’re more likely to have a Glee episode devoid of Auto-Tune before I mention your charitable request on my weblog.”
Because if the illnesses claimed by Kristie Tunick and Brian Mendenhall are indeed spurious …
Then I feel completely sick.
Sick of being fed a pile of cyber-manure.
Chuck The Writer 
Oh how the universe works in mysterious ways. Maybe some good can come out of your involvement though. After reading your original post I read up more on Stiff Person Syndrome because it may turn out that my mother has this condition. For the last few years she has suffered debilitating muscle spasms that could not be explained. Now we have something to test for, specifically high levels of anti-GAD antibodies. Had I not read your story we might not have had these teats done. We won’t know for sure for a few weeks, but if my mother is indeed diagnosed with SPS you Chuck will be my hero. So perhaps this woman is a con-artist, but for the moment you have afforded my mom a few moments peace in knowing that what she has might be treated.
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Kelly –
Please keep me informed on your mother’s health and prognosis. All the best.
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It is sad the lengths people will go to to get seen or heard just for personal or financial gain.
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This makes me sick, but I gotta say, I fell for it too. I read your original post and watched the videos, following them up with an email. I never received a reply back from the recipient but instead got a ‘canned’ response in the body. It was then that I had my suspicions. Don’t feel bad Chuck, you just have a heart.
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So you assume it’s real because of a youtube video and now you say it’s a hoax because of a youtube video?
Did you even bother to verify before posting?
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Although you say you can’t trust anything anymore, you do happen to trust the people who say this is a haox. People I may add that have never met Kristie nor Brian, have no idea what is truly going on, and are reminding me more and more of conspiracy theorists every day. I know both Kristie and Brian and as much as I do wish this was a huge scam because then at least Kristie would be healthy, it’s not. This is unfortunately their real life– as unbelieveable as much of it may sound. So much of the supposed “evidence” has been doctored and I can explain every single one of their reasons for thinking this is a scam but the problem is that most of these people posting are 14-16 year old girls who don’t care about the truth, all they care about is the drama of the situation. I truly hope that Kristie and Brian can do something to prove to people that this is in fact a real life hell they are living in so they don’t have to deal with all of this slander on top of it.
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Well, Chuck, look at the bright side…at least this time you didn’t send a check AND a roll of film.
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Actually, I did a lot of research on the scam. I am a 30 year old grown, university educated woman and
I think it is ridiculous to say the info is “doctored”.
The contradictions they made within their own
story could not be doctored by anyone.
I emailed the FBI as well as a police detective and as far as
I know they are following up on the case. Anytime someone asks for money and they can’t prove where its going
to, its fishy.
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Hi all
I do not know what to say. I also put up the video about Kristi. Then I was suspicious when the You Tube and the Care Pages items that I linked to were no longer there.
I will put it this way, when a person working for a well respected newspaper in a metropolitan area says there is reason to believe that this story is not all it is made out to be, then I reversed my postings.
We want to help people in need, not people driven by greed.
So, without any additional information, and no reply from the principles, I am lining up with the folks that say, don’t give anything of value until we hear from authorities that this is truly a real situation and not a scam.
BUT please pray for Kristie and Brian, God knows what is true and not and so pray that he presents Himself to them and that they develop a closer walk with Him.
Blessings,
charlie
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Sweetheart, don’t apologize to us. You did nothing wrong.
By telling other people about it you showed that you do have a kind heart. You had no idea that they were lying – none of us did.
All I can say is, I’m glad they’re being brought to justice
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This is so frustrating. I have had SPS for over a decade; I was diagnosed about eight years ago.
It wasn’t until this morning, while looking for updates on SPS research that I came across the ABC video of Kristie. At first, I was so excited that network television was covering this misunderstood disease. Now, I am bitterly disappointed. Since I don’t have a walker and look relatively normal, it is difficult to get people to take me seriously. Scams like this certainly don’t help. *sigh*
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I’m mad it turn out to be a scam because I have Stiff Person Syndrome for nine year’s now i’m in pain and have spam’s in my leg and my feet fill like they are burn feeling as a person with sps I felt sorry for her now it’s a scam it make’s me more it is a real disease I people will think it’s not because it’s real I live with it every day. if people want to give money give it to Stiff Person Syndrome research
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