An Iowa woman has been charged after allegedly defrauding $37,000 from donors by pretending she has cancer and a tumor the size of a football on her spine.
Madison Marie Russo, 19, was arrested on January 23 after medics reported she faked a stage 2 cancer diagnosis by pointing out the irregularities of cords and tubes in her “Chemo” TikTok videos.
Russo claimed she had pancreatic cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia — along with a “football-sized” tumor on her lower back and spine.
Police obtained medical records from centers where she was a patient, all of which showed she was never treated for cancer or tumors, according to the KWQC. Authorities also discovered that Russo stole photos from cancer patients’ social media and used them as her own.
She posted her $10,000 bail the same day she was arrested.
Madison Marie Russo, 19, allegedly lied about her stage two cancer diagnosis. She was arrested last week after medics pointed out the irregularities of cords and tubes in her “Chemo” TikTok videos
Police obtained medical records from centers where she was a patient showing she was never treated for cancer or tumors
Police obtained a search warrant for Russo’s Bettendorf home, in which she found a brown paper bag containing medical supplies, an IV stand with a pump filled with cotton ball, boxes of clear bandages, wigs and a prescription for nausea given to her relative, according to KWQC .
Authorities revealed that Russo accepted money from 439 donors, including cancer foundations and school districts. A GoFundMe account showed that as of Jan. 19, an additional $37,303 had been raised.
Russo claimed her alleged medical journey began in February 2022 when she received a call about her diagnosis while in class at St. Ambrose University, she told The North Scott Press in October.
“It was early in the morning and I had been anxiously awaiting those test results,” said Russo. “My phone rang and it said ‘Iowa City Oncology.’ I left the classroom and took the call.
“I was scared and definitely still am. I was shocked. I didn’t think it could be true. I’m so young and I wondered how this could have happened. I was going through all the emotions and I was pretty numb.’
The suspected cancer patient claimed bloody stools, nosebleeds and a fever prompted her to have her labs done before her diagnosis.
When she received the diagnosis, she said doctors gave her an 11 percent five-year survival rate.
“I remember hanging up the phone and I was a mess,” she said. “I literally yelled, but somehow I found the courage to wipe my tears away and went back to class, which, now that I think about it, was pretty crazy.”
At the time, Russo claimed doctors had insisted surgery was not a way to remove her “football-sized” tumor. They called it “more risk than reward,” Russo said.
A GoFundMe account showed that as of Jan. 19, an additional $37,303 had been raised. Authorities revealed that Russo accepted money from 439 donors, including cancer foundations and school districts
Between February and October 2022, Russo claimed she received about 15 rounds of chemotherapy and 90 rounds of radiation, the news outlet reported. She also insisted that she seek advice from the Mayo Clinic doctors.
“Life was crazy,” she said. “It’s like a catch-22. I can’t win if I lose. I feel like my soul has been shaken and at the moment everything is kind of uncertain. I just want to know my game plan and right now I don’t know what that is.
“Of course not every day can be sunshine and rainbows, but you can’t just choose to be mad at cancer. It just happens with people. If you stay depressed and in a dark room, I have a feeling your body will never get better.
Despite Russo’s “cancer diagnosis,” she was able to maintain a 4.0 grade point average, work part-time, and participate in outdoor activities.
Between February and October 2022, Russo claimed she received about 15 rounds of chemotherapy and 90 rounds of radiation
Russo’s “medical journey” has been regularly featured on social media, where she has opened up about her alleged chemo process and everyday symptoms.
“Days like this are tough,” Russo said in a previous video. “I just have various mixed feelings, and with my hair — and of course stuff like that is a big scare — obviously as a girl … Hair is a big part of everyone’s life, but when you think about the potential to use it, it is.” just a fair bit more… hopefully nothing will fall out.’
In a separate video, Russo explained that she had a rough week post-chemo but didn’t feel sick.
“It’s been quite an eventful week,” said Russo. “In the cancer world, eventful is not good. I’d rather have an uneventful week because it means you’re kind of idle, so to speak.
“So I had a little bump. It’s my week without chemo, so I just did radiation. However, I somehow came down with this fever. This is really weird because I don’t feel that sick. I don’t really have a cold or a sore throat, none of the other symptoms… Just something like that feeling of being exhausted.
Russo explained that she received lab tests back that showed a low white blood count, which was likely due to the fact that she had just finished chemo.
Russo’s “medical journey” has been regularly featured on social media, where she has opened up about her alleged chemo process and everyday symptoms
Police revealed that Russo’s footage of her treatment “inside” a doctor’s office was also taken at her home.
Donors were shocked to hear of Russo’s arrest after unknowingly contributing to her program.
“I had no words when my friend sent me the link and said, ‘Hey, didn’t you donate to this?'” an unidentified donor told KWQC. “I haven’t donated that much, but you’re doing what you can and you’re just shocked.”
GoFundMe admins sent a note to Russo’s donors claiming they would get their money back in up to seven business days.
Internet sleuths were quick to criticize Russo and found her hidden flaws in several of her videos.
A TikToker posted a photo of Russo smiling while attached to a gastrostomy tube, which indicated it was too far up her nose and a “thoracic port” was misplaced.
“What’s up with that chest port,” one person said in response to the photo on TikTok. “I’m not a chemo nurse, but this doesn’t look like a port to me. The association is really messed up.’
Another TikToker grabbed her son’s old gastrostomy tube and tried to stick it far up her nose like Russo did.
“Definitely not comfortable,” she said while adding the caption, “my nose hurt afterward.”
Russo is scheduled to be charged on March 2.