Horizon City, Texas teenager Ruth Angelica Gomez faces theft charges after authorities claim she fooled her community into donating $17,000 because they were falsely led to believe she was dying of cancer.
Gomez created the Achieve the Dream foundation, by which she held multiple fund raisers and solicited donations to help cure her leukemia which she claimed would take her life in less than a year. This is according to Horizon City police Detective Liliana Medina. The only problem is that there is no indication that Gomez ever had leukemia.
Her website has been taken down but an archived page revealed photos of teens and children wearing green ribbon logos and the following message from Gomez:
“Blessed by God’s will, every child was brought to this world for a reason. So being every child should have the right to fight for their life, Achieve the Dream is dedicated to helping children with Leukemia have the chance to beat their cancer and live a normal life.”
I found a video report filed by KTSM NBC out of El Paso in which they were helping promote Angie’s cause and it features a brief comment from the teen. Here’s part of the transcript of the report which you can view here:
Meet 18-year-old Angie Gomez, she’s battled leukemia herself and started the Achieve the Dream foundation in order to help kids lead a normal life. She says it’s hard growing up with the disease because as soon as you start feeling better you’ve got to start treatment all over again.
Even Gomez’s fiance, Freddy Alcantar, told authorities he had no idea of her deception. He remarked that she did take medications and that the last he heard from her was a brief call where she told him she was going away.
A youth minister at a local church took her in for 6 months after Gomez claimed that her folks had kicked her out of the house. Nicole Matsuda said Gomez was pale and skinny and that it was easy to believe that she was ill. There were moments that made Matsuda question the young girl’s claims but as she said, “You almost felt guilty if you had a suspicion: How can you question someone who is dying?”
Gomez has been charged with felony theft by deception, for which she could receive up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine. No one else has been charged in connection with Gomez’s alleged scheme.
I’m sure that Gomez’s alleged actions will generate deep felt anger, if you’re wanting to help children who do suffer from this horrible disease may I suggest the Say Love foundation. You can visit their site here. I would like to share this beautiful video from Say Love set to The Avett Brothers “Living of Love” because in the end I believe love wins every time.
