Yesterday I published an article about a young woman who created all manner of sensation by revealing she had undergone a procedure giving her a “third breast”. The announcement was accompanied by pictures and videos, and became viral, being published in many publications, including this blog. My point was that this was an issue of medical ethics, and that doctors cannot be assumed to be above the lure of profits over principle.
WTSP Channel 10 in Tampa and the website snopes.com yesterday afternoon published information leading many, including me, to believe that this was all a hoax. The young woman has been identified by her real name and has been known to employ previous attention seeking hoaxes on the web. The real undoing for her, however, is a very odd coincidence indeed.
Several days ago I read about a couple who had been arrested for stealing luggage from luggage belts at Tampa International Airport. They had stolen bags four days in a row before authorities became wise to them and caught them in the act. I noticed this story because I am a very regular flyer in and out of Tampa, although I rarely check luggage. I only do so when traveling with my wife (men will understand that) and when I have to take presentation material to a conference (such as today for my flight to NWCDN in Chicago).
In what has to be a heavenly orchestrated confluence of sorts, it turns out our young Total Recall wannabe was one of the people who had her luggage stolen by these folks. In the police report, posted in the article available here, she listed, as one of the items contained within said luggage, a “three breast prosthesis”.
So our young fraudster literally had her bags stolen. (There is irony somewhere in that sentence. I just can’t figure out exactly where).
I would have loved to see the look on the policeman’s face when he had to fill out that report. And it turns out I attacked the medical community when I probably should have gone after the DME folks. I mean, who makes a “three breasted prosthesis”?
I suppose I should issue a retraction of sorts. Forget what I said. Doctors can all be trusted. None are motivated by profit, rather only the wellbeing of all in their care. And you can take that to the bank.
In the words of Gilda Radner’s Saturday Night Live character Emily Litella, “Never mind”.