Michigan Mom in Court for Faking Son's Leukemia

This news article is about a mother from Michigan who faked her son's illness, and she claimed that her son had Leukemia. She shaved his head and eyebrows so he would look the part of a sick child. She also fed him food that would make him sick so he would appear to becoming worse. She campaigned on Facebook and raised money through her church to gain money for her son's "treatment." The church raised over $7,000 for her son. The main question presenting in this article is why would a mom go through such lengths to just make some money? It is more than just a way to make a quick buck though. There is a serious psychological disorder called Munchausen Syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by people who want attention and go as far as to make themselves sick to present symptoms in order to get what they want. This mom is up for trial and her son is in foster care at the moment.
When I saw this article title I knew I had to read it. I understand there is a psychological disorder that explains this, but to me it is still so hard to comprehend. It is so hard to imagine someone would go through such lengths to gain attention or monetary support. This article gives me mixed feelings because it really hit home for me. My best friend's sister passed away from Leukemia winter of 2009. It upsets me that someone would use such an awful excuse like this to gain attention and some money. It could be caused by a psychological disorder, but still makes me question some things.