Recently I was shocked to see a graphic image of a baby on my Facebook newsfeed. The baby was naked and very ill with some  sort of horrific skin rash. The friend who posted it said the baby had cancer and that Facebook would donate 3 cents every time the photo was shared. I was appalled. The photos were highly inappropriate as they showed the baby’s private areas. I decided to do some research and what I found sickened me.

The baby in the picture is from Portugal and her name is Nizza Manuela Duarte. She didn’t have cancer, she had a severe skin disease and sadly died from it 4 years ago. The photos were stolen from her parents, who had taken them to help them in their desperate search for answers, since doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Why someone would use them for a stupid hoax is beyond me, but she is not the only child to be exploited this way. There are at least 3 other such hoaxes circulating on Facebook. One involves a little girl with a severe heart defect and promises Facebook will donate money each time the photo is shared. Again false, and sadly the little girl died due to her heart problems. Her picture was also stolen. A third shows a photo of a baby boy with a large growth on the side of his face and claims he has facial cancer. Another lie. The growth was a harmless birth mark called a hemangioma and was removed. He’s now a happy and healthy 7 year old.

If you spot any of these terrible hoaxes in your newsfeed, DO NOT SHARE. Contact your friend and tell them it’s a hoax and they should delete it ASAP. If they refuse, report the photos to Facebook. This is not a harmless thing. It’s causing the parents of these children a lot of undeserved distress.