[thechat] Kaycee Nicole

Seth Bienek seth.bienek at sbti.com
Thu May 24 12:57:45 CDT 2001


I happened along this weblog a couple of weeks ago while "web-wandering".  It was a weblog by a girl named Kaycee Nicokle who had been diagnosed with leukemia.  The blog was filled with elegant poetry as well as touching accounts of little miracles and observations in her daily life.  Then I hit the last day of the blog, which happened to be on the very day I was reading it.  It was written by someone else, presumably a friend, and basically said that Kaycee Nicole had passed away.  It was very sad.

Then, today, as I was perusing MSNBC (like I sometimes do), I ran across this article:

A painful affair of the Internet heart
http://www.msnbc.com/news/576899.asp

"May 23 — At least hundreds, if not thousands of Webloggers and other Netizens spent the past year rooting for 19-year-old Kaycee Nicole, who was battling leukemia and chronicling her incredible efforts online. They sent hats when her hair fell out. They sent Amazon gift certificates so she had reading material. They even sent money when mom lost her job to be at Kaycee’s bedside. There was a worldwide groan May 14 when Kaycee’s passing was announced, followed by an online wake. Only one problem: There was no Kaycee Nicole."


By the time I finished the article I didn't know whether I should be pissed or laugh my ass off. 


“My daughter is 10. We would go places, and she would say, ‘We should send something to Kaycee.’ That’s why we sent the bookmarks, the Beanie Babies. She cried when Kaycee died,” Amber said. “Now I have to tell my daughter it was all a hoax ... I really want the person behind all this to be kept from doing it again.”


It got me thinking alot about what motivates people to do things like this (the blog was active for over a year!), and thinking about what causes people to get so wrapped up in something that is so intangible.  Doesn't that contradict human nature?  This could have already been on my mind due to the theological thread taking place on this list though.   

Anyhoo, I don't know if this is news to anyone else. 

Certainly adds an interesting aspect to the entire "Kaycee" blog though. :)

Seth





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