(8/18/2003) Most sick child chain letters floating around these days are just re-works of older hoaxes. This one is an amalgam of several, with a lot of guilt-evoking admonishments thrown in for good measure.

SAMPLE CHAIN LETTER TEXT All of you guys who dont even try to send this, has no heart,that is all i got to say OK Listen. I Just Spent 13 hours Getting Screen Names So That I Could Help a Little Girl So Read The Bottom This isn't a chain letter... OK everyone. This isn't a chain letter,but a chance for all of us to save a little girl that's dying of a serious and fatal form of cancer. Please send this to everyone you know... Or don't know at that. This little girl has 6 months left to live,and as her dying wish,she wanted to send a chain letter telling everyone to live their life to the fullest,since she never will. She'll never make it to prom,graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own. But by you sending this to as many people as possible, you can give her and her family a little hope, because with every name that this is sent to,the American cancer society will donate 6 cents per name to her treatment and recovery plan. One guy sent this to 500 people! So,I know that everyone can send it to at least 5 or 6. Come on everyone... And if you're too damn selfish to waste 10-15 minutes scrolling this and forwarding it to EVERYONE, (more than one person): you're one sick puppy,and two: just think it could be you one day... And it's not even your $money$, just your time. Hello. My name is Tamara Martin and I have severe lung cancer due to second hand smoke. This chain was a final attend to get me healthy again. Every letter sent gets 6 cents. Please send this to 10 people.(by the way, what goes around comes around!) END CHAIN LETTER TEXT

In 1998 (perhaps even earlier) an urgent letter began hitting e-mail inboxes asking for your help to raise money for Amy Bruce, who was apparently dying of cancer. Some time later, another letter began circulating, pleading for your assistance to save the life of Jessica Mydeck, who was also (supposedly) dying of cancer. Both promised that a charitable organization would donate a small sum toward the girl's treatment for every person the note was forwarded to.

The dreck above combines elements from those two hoaxes and peppers in many compelling arguments to guilt, goad or shame you into complying. Tamara Martin is just the latest in a long string of names to be co-opted for the purpose of duping well-meaning netizens.

Many of us are skeptical of such claims, but forward them on because we see no harm in doing so. But these hoaxes do hurt. Each year, the Children's Make A Wish Foundation, the American Cancer Society and other organizations have to divert hundreds of man-hours to combat questions that arise as a result of these lies. In a statement on their web site regarding the Jessica Mydeck letter, the ACS denies any involvement in any e-mail campaign: "The American Cancer Society does not endorse fundraising efforts using chain letters of any kind."

If that's not convincing enough, consider this: What the letter claims is impossible. There is absolutely no way a third party is able to monitor what you do with a message. Think about it... would you even want this to be true: A third party, with whom you've likely never done business, is suddenly able to peer into your e-mail program and see who you send what message to? It's a frightening concept that is often hidden by the glow of good feelings we get from thinking we're doing a good thing.

So, don't feel bad about deleting this chain or any other like it. It doesn't make you a heartless, uncaring monster, it just makes you someone who thinks before you act. Break this chain.

Category: For the Kids
References: American Cancer Society

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