2401: The Cancer Sympathy Machine part 1

PRETEND

Javier Leiva

True Crime, Society & Culture, Technology

4.7 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Some people fake cancer for sympathy. Others do it for money. But the truth is darker than most of us want to believe. In this episode, we break down the tactics, behaviors, and mindsets of some of the most convincing cancer fakers out there. From Madison Russo’s botched medical props to Elizabeth Teckenbrock’s alleged search history...“Is it illegal to fake cancer?” Um, yeah. Bill Petrich, a real cancer survivor who now investigates fake cases, helps us understand the psychology behind the deception. We also take a look at the biggest cancer cons in recent history: Scamanda, Belle Gibson, Jennifer Flynn Cataldo and how these scams went from emotional manipulation to full-on fraud. To learn more about Bill Petrich’s work documenting these cases, check out his TikTok: @faking.cancer.expert: https://www.tiktok.com/@faking.cancer.expert Listen to eLIESabeth podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2nlxXhewsTRAyJhvyvaQbb?si=5de4d34489f549e9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	True Story Media.
0:07.5	At CAREFEM, you can choose the abortion care that works best for you.
0:12.0	With in-person visits in Atlanta, Chicago, and the D.C. area, or medically supported abortion
0:17.7	peals by mail-in 20 states. Some people feel more comfortable meeting with a
0:21.9	provider in person and leaving either no longer pregnant or with pills in hand. Others prefer getting
0:27.4	abortion pills by mail. Just fill out a short online form and if eligible, your medication
0:32.9	arrives in a few days in a plain package. When you choose abortion pills, Kara, our text-based abortion companion,
0:40.1	is with you every step of the way,
0:41.9	offering 24-7 support and answers whenever you need them.
0:45.5	However you get care,
0:46.8	CARAFEM will support you every step of the way.
0:49.3	Learn more at carefim.org.
0:53.4	So my name is Bill Petrich.
0:55.4	Fifteen years ago, I was a senior in college in Michigan.
0:59.5	I was 21 years old.
1:01.8	At just 21 years old, Bill received one of the most life-altering news of his life,
1:08.5	news that would set him on a course for the next 15 years.
1:12.8	I knew that I was feeling pretty sick my senior year of college. My head was getting bigger and
1:18.5	bigger. My neck was really sore. I knew something was seriously wrong with me. And so finally,
1:25.8	I went into the student clinic one morning and basically explained my symptoms
1:30.0	and I had a really good doctor who gave me a chest x-ray and pretty much immediately identified
1:36.4	like a big mass on the film and was basically like, okay, we need to get you to the hospital
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 1 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Javier Leiva, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Javier Leiva and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.