Most of the Twitter folk are by now aware of the elaborate hoax that was played on many of us over the course of the past month. As I was the biggest cheerleader for the cause that wasn’t really a cause I thought I should address it. I think it’s important for people to understand the intricate details that were woven into this story to make it seem real and hope this will serve as a cautionary tale for all of us online.
Heads up: there were some sound issues today but I wanted to get this posted and didn’t have time to resolve them. The music kicks in very loudly after the Kruiser Kid intro so adjust your volume ahead of time!
Thank you. I’m sorry you were put through all this for no discernible reason. And, no you shouldn’t be embarrassed; prayers are never wasted.
Thank you for the podcast, Kruiser. It really cleared up a lot of things, and it puts me at ease knowing your side of the story. Embarrassment will come and go, and like you said, by the end of the week we’re going to be in a whole new year
Time to put it all behind us and start fresh.
While I’m sad you won’t be tweeting for a while (day, week, month, whatever) I understand the need to step away. I myself considered stepping away for a little while, and I wasn’t even really part of this drama! (I just don’t deal well with conflict; makes me nervous).
I look forward to more Kruiser Control, more of your delightful tweets, and more Podcasts come the new year. You’re a good man, Kruiser. I hope you never change in that regard.
Take care,
Katie/RDLenix
I just finished listening to your podcast and I, like you, fell for the story and, like you, prayed for Raquel. We want to feel the best about people but we all get fooled from time to time by some unscrupulous individuals.
I felt stupid afterward and have taken a step back from twitter myself. I still log on and read the tweets and reply to a few.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Be blessed by the knowledge you were willing to pray for a complete stranger.
Stephen,
I am a physician and I spent a couple of hours talking with her via DM about medical questions (e.g. – why are they doing this, what does this term mean, etc.) I also received some “drugged” tweets. She was very good. There were some red flags that I should have paid more attention to, but I attributed it to medical naiveté and fear on her part.
I understand your embarrassment, but I wish you wouldn’t feel that way. Like I told another person who was quite emotionally invested, whenever you open your heart to someone, you make yourself vulnerable to hurt. But that’s what good people do. You are good people.
Jeff
I am relieved more than embarrassed; I fell in love with #RaquelE and was riveted by her story. No prayers are ever wasted. God sorts things out. Don’t think less of you in the least, and the next time you share a prayer request I’ll be there pounding on the pearly gates.
Thanks for the update. We were all had, and it’s sad that there’s people in the world that would plot and plan something like this to suck us all in.
thanks for the full recap. I was pretty confused. It is pretty unfathomable that someone got that invested into making such a big hoax. most all of us fell for it and I did pray for her and felt very sad about it for a long time as it was going on. I didnt even know the alleged person much but yeah I guess I was too trusting as well. People can be pretty weird unfortunately but atleast we all know we care about each other and can look out for any odd behaviors that may lead to something like this again ( hopefully not). Thanks again and sorry you had to be the brunt of this hoax. Glad you are learning from it and getting some comedy from it
-Tiffany (@tiffanybr)
You’re a good man, Stephen Kruiser.
I prayed for her and her family as well. Thought about how the Christmas season would always be a sad tine for them. It is not for us to understand her game, but we should all be proud of and continue to nurture our compassion. We should also continue to pray for her. She has a lot of bad karma to burn off.
Meant to type time- not tine. Sorry!!
Kim- @KimRSchofield
Anonymity is not necessarily a bad thing. I would rather have a bit too much than not enough. It does have its drawbacks as well, however, as VERY succinctly stated by the following (mildly NSFW due to language) comic: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/
This podcast gives you a ton of credibility. I wish we had more honest apologies like this from others when they do more harm than this has. Thanks for it.
2011 is next week. Another year to get on with. Stand up, dust off, and keep doing what you do best: Making us laugh, making us think, and taking care of your family. I thank you for all of these as well.
Unfortunately, many of us were fooled by this pathological liar. In hindsight, the medical details never added up. If she had such advanced cancer and her kidneys failed, she would never have been on the transplant list. I asked Anamaris other questions about the treatment and she never responded.
I met some very nice people on Twitter as a result of this experience. I learned a lesson and will not be fooled again. I am sorry that you were one of her biggest victims.
Stephen,
I’ll pray for you. This is full of suckitude. Next time something like this happens, require a face to face with pictures of the both of you together before attaching your name to someone else.
Laugh about it, man. It’s the first step to recovery. Nobody is better able to make jokes about it than you.
Stephen,
Sometimes, people stink! Please don’t let it trouble you.
Stephen, when I heard her story (I think I came in on the middle – tail end of it), I was skeptical, only because I’ve seen scams like this perpetrated before, on other sites. I prayed, regardless, because prayers are never wasted. I will continue to pray for her, because she obviously has issues that need to be addressed. I know you feel embarrassed & are sorry you got involved, but please remember that it’s better to open your heart and take a chance on getting hurt, than to withhold your feelings (friendship, caring, etc., not talking romantic feelings here) from someone who truly needs your friendship and prayers. I think this was a wake-up call to everyone involved, and all we can do is learn from the experience, and move on. Think about what you would say to a friend who came to you & told you this story, & you will realize we’re often much harsher in our judgment of ourselves than of others, so remember to cut yourself some slack. You’re only human, just like the rest of us
. Take care. Lisa
Talking blind here, since I won’t be able to hear the podcast until much later. I agree with everyone…. prayers are NEVER wasted, trust God to answer your prayers (sometimes the answer is NO) and to know what the real needs are of the person you are praying for… so her ‘illness’ was a hoax, but the sickness in her SOUL to perpetrate a fraud like this is the something only God can cure.. that praying for a stranger is good for your relationship with your creator, an acknowledgment of who is REALLY in charge here. Love you Stephen… Take care. Elaine
Not being a twit (or whatever you call someone who twitters), I honestly don’t see anything for you to be embarrassed about. If this is the worst thing you have to feel regret about from last year, you are blessed indeed.
I seriously hope you aren’t giving up on Kruiser Control or Planet Kruiser because of this incident. We love you (and The Kruiser Kid and Matt), and would miss you!
Y’know what? I love you even more now. You’re a sweet person, and do not let this sick liar change that ever.