A Texas mother who pretended to have stage four breast cancer and allowed friends to contribute to a GoFundMe has revealed the real reason why she lied after being sentenced to five years of probation on Monday.
Emily Joyce Hinojosa, 38, was arrested in July 2023 and admitted to police that she lied about her cancer diagnosis.
According to an arrest affidavit, the mother of three told police she “has a problem with making up stories about her medical health to gain sympathy from her friends so they would want her more.”
The GoFundMe set up for her by friend Natalie Nelson claimed she had been battling cancer for nine years.
The fundraiser, which is currently active but inactive, said: “As most of you know, Emily has been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Emily has been battling this horrible disease for nine years. After they performed a pet scan last week, it was found that the cancer had spread throughout her body. Emily started the treatments immediately on Monday September 21 and will continue the treatments and radiation 3 times a week for 10 weeks. After completing the 10-week treatment, another pet scan will take place to determine next steps.
‘Due to the cost of procedures and the longer duration of treatment, there will be significant costs to the family, even after insurance. This fundraiser will help offset the costs of Emily’s medical expenses, travel expenses and the loss of her income during this time,” the post continued.
“Emily’s infectious smile and enormous heart make it a blessing to know her.”
Police say Hinojosa raised $7,085 from the fundraiser.
A Texas mother who pretended to have stage four breast cancer and allowed friends to contribute to a GoFundMe revealed that the reason she lied about her disease was so people would like her more. Pictured: Emily Joyce Hinojosa, mother of three
The GoFundMe was created by a friend of Hinojosa, Natalie Nelson. Nelson later told police she had become suspicious of Hinojosa’s condition due to a lack of symptoms
The fundraiser is no longer active, but Hinojosa received more than $7,000 in donations as a result
However, Nelson became suspicious of Hinojosa’s apparent cancer diagnosis and told officers that her condition and lack of symptoms “did not correspond to the extent of her claimed illness,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Police checked four doctors that Hinojosa claimed treated her, and found that three of the medical professionals she mentioned had no record of her being a patient.
The fourth doctor showed that Hinojosa had been diagnosed with cancer in 2014, but would be in remission in May 2021.
“Nothing in the fourth facility’s records showed a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer from July 2020 through November 2020,” the affidavit said.
From September 2020 to October 2020, 64 donations were made to her GoFundMe.
After her sentencing Monday, Hinojosa was ordered to pay back the money to the people who contributed to her fundraiser.