![]() But Dee Dee soon tracked them down via mutual friends. In 2011, Gypsy tried to get away from her mother by running away with a man she'd met at a science fiction convention. READ: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Is 'Happy' and 'Optimistic' in Prison: Interview with Rod Blanchard, Gypsy's Father Gypsy convinced a man she met online to kill Dee Dee But Gypsy was still becoming harder for Dee Dee to control. This resulted in two caseworkers visiting their home, but Dee Dee convinced them there was nothing wrong.Īs Gypsy grew older, Dee Dee began to lie about her age, going so far as to alter the dates on Gypsy's birth certificate to make her daughter seem younger. In 2009, an anonymous report was made to authorities stating that Dee Dee's accounts of Gypsy's ailments had no medical basis. In later interviews, he stated his belief that there wasn't enough evidence to act. However, this doctor never reported her case to authorities. When Gypsy was 14, she saw a neurologist in Missouri who came to believe she was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. All along, Dee Dee continued to bask in the attention she received for being a devoted caretaker. Gypsy and Dee Dee also received benefits that included charity-sponsored visits to concerts and Disney World. Built by Habitat for Humanity, it was painted pink and had a wheelchair ramp. In 2008, Gypsy and Dee Dee moved into a new home in Springfield, Missouri. Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother, Dee Dee Photo: Courtesy of Investigation DiscoveryĮven when Gypsy was a teenager, Dee Dee still claimed she was sick and began to lie about Gypsy's age ![]() Hurricane Katrina also provided an excuse for missing medical files. There, Dee Dee continued to bring Gypsy to doctor's appointments. When some of Dee Dee's family noticed that Gypsy didn't seem to need a wheelchair and asked questions, Dee Dee and Gypsy moved away.ĭee Dee claimed to be a victim of Hurricane Katrina, so she and Gypsy received assistance to relocate from Louisiana to Missouri in 2005. He complimented Dee Dee for her devoted care. When Gypsy was old enough to talk, Dee Dee instructed her not to volunteer information during their appointments - she was always the one relating Gypsy's fake medical history.ĭee Dee told Gypsy's father, Rod Blanchard, that their daughter had a chromosomal disorder that had led to her many health issues. Dee Dee was also charming and seemed devoted to her daughter. She'd had some nurse's training, so she could accurately describe symptoms, and she sometimes gave Gypsy medication to mimic certain conditions. And many caregivers went along with what Dee Dee wanted. Medical tests often showed inconclusive or contradictory results regarding Gypsy's diagnoses, but Dee Dee would stop seeing any doctors who questioned her daughter's ailments. Dee Dee appeared to be a charming, devoted mother, so people believed her Experts believe Dee Dee had a mental illness known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy (also called factitious disorder imposed on another), which made her fabricate her daughter's ill health in order to receive attention and sympathy for taking care of a sick child. Her head was bald only because her mother shaved off her hair. Yet the truth was that Gypsy could walk, didn't need a feeding tube and did not have cancer. When Gypsy's teeth rotted - perhaps due to her medications, missing salivary glands or neglect - they were pulled out. She also went through multiple surgeries, including procedures on her eyes and removal of her salivary glands. The list of medical problems that Dee Dee related about her daughter would go on to include seizures, asthma and hearing and visual impairments.ĭue to Dee Dee's actions, Gypsy was prescribed a litany of medications and had to sleep using a breathing machine. When Gypsy was eight years old, Dee Dee described her as suffering from leukemia and muscular dystrophy and said she required a wheelchair and feeding tube. Gypsy Rose, who was born in 1991, was a baby when Dee Dee claimed her daughter had sleep apnea. Dee Dee began pretending that Gypsy had different illnesses when Gypsy was a baby The truth about Gypsy and her mother only came out after Gypsy arranged for an online boyfriend to murder Dee Dee in 2015. Experts believe Dee Dee's behavior stemmed from the mental disorder Munchausen syndrome by proxy because Dee Dee wanted to be a caretaker, she feigned and induced illness in her daughter. ![]() However, Gypsy wasn't actually unwell - her mother had been lying about her symptoms. Gypsy Rose Blanchard grew up with her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, making claims about her health that resulted in a series of dire diagnoses and medical interventions. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |