A note of caution regarding the recently posted chain letter:
The following text was copied from the American Cancer Society's web site,
http://www.cancer.org/chain.html
I urge all readers to verify these postings prior to forwarding.
Best Regards,
Tom L.
Original ACS text:
------------------------------------------------------------
Fraudulent Chain Letter
This statement may be copied or reprinted by online
users
The American Cancer Society is greatly disturbed by reports of a fraudulent
chain letter circulating on the internet which lists
the American Cancer Society as a "corporate sponsor" but which has in no way
been endorsed by the American Cancer
Society. This letter appears to have started on America Online but has now
spread well beyond the online service. There are
several variations of this letter in circulation, including one which has a
picture of "Tickle Me Elmo" and one that is
essentially a paraphrase of the letter below.
The text of the original message reads as follows:
LITTLE JESSICA MYDEK IS SEVEN YEARS OLD AND IS SUFFERING FROM AN ACUTE AND
VERY RARE
CASE OF CEREBRAL CARCINOMA. THIS CONDITION CAUSES SEVERE MALIGNANT BRAIN
TUMORS AND IS
A TERMINAL ILLNESS. THE DOCTORS HAVE GIVEN HER SIX MONTHS TO LIVE.
AS PART OF HER DYING WISH, SHE WANTED TO START A CHAIN LETTER TO INFORM PEOPLE
OF THIS
CONDITION AND TO SEND PEOPLE THE MESSAGE TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND ENJOY
EVERY
MOMENT, A CHANCE THAT SHE WILL NEVER HAVE. FURTHERMORE, THE AMERICAN CANCER
SOCIETY
AND SEVERAL CORPORATE SPONSORS HAVE AGREED TO DONATE THREE CENTS TOWARD
CONTINUING
CANCER RESEARCH FOR EVERY NEW PERSON THAT GETS FORWARDED THIS MESSAGE. PLEASE
GIVE
JESSICA AND ALL CANCER VICTIMS A CHANCE.
IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, SEND THEM TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY AT
ACS@AOL.COM
As far as the American Cancer Society can determine, the story of Jessica
Mydek is completely unsubstantiated. No
fundraising efforts are being made by the American Cancer Society using chain
letters of any kind.
Furthermore, the email address ACS@AOL.COM is inactive. Any messages to the
American Cancer Society should be
instead sent through the American Cancer Society website at
http://www.cancer.org.
This particular chain letter with its heartbreaking story appears to have
struck an emotional chord with online users. Although
we are very concerned that the American Cancer Society's name has been used to
manipulate the online public, we applaud
the good intentions of all who participated in this letter. We are pleased to
note that there are so many caring individuals out
there and hope that they will find another way to support cancer research.
Jessica Mydek's story, whether true or false, is
representative of that of many cancer patients who benefit daily from the
efforts of legitimate cancer organizations
nationwide.
------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas G. Loebig, MSME
Biomechanics Resarch Lab
Allegheny University of the Health Sciences
320 E. North Avenue, 10th Floor South Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
412.359.6773 FAX: 412.359.3387
tloebig@pgh.auhs.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 22:39:45 EEST