A teenager was left devastated after finding out an anonymous donor who promised her $40,000 to pay for her cancer treatment was actually just a hoax.
Alexis Gould was diagnosed with stage 3 neuroblastoma, which affects the nerves, in September, and her school launched a fundraising effort to help pay for her treatment.
So Alexis' family were overjoyed to hear an anonymous donor had stepped forward to offer the lump sum. However a few days later, Alexis' mother Emily discovered the money was never there in the first place.
"It was a little bit hard, but we never wanted it to detract from the genuine love and support that we received from so many," she told KSL.com.
Rather than dwell on the disappointment, the family are focusing on the positives. "What others might deem as little acts of kindness, or little acts of love, mean the world to us," Emily added. "While $40,000 is a lot of money, it meant no more to me than the people who are struggling, who are living paycheck to paycheck who donated five dollars."
A Go Fund Me account has now been set up in Alexis' name, and has already raised more than $25,000.