Some kid who is sick supposedly posted the following...

And you got it from a friend, acquaintance or myspace-bulletin

Date: Oct 13, 2006 6:51 PM

If you don't believe it, call the number. Everyone needs to take the time and read this. Just take a break from all your other stupid bulletins about who is gonna die or if your love life will suck for 7 years and be serious and do the right thing. Repost this or you have no soul seriously. A kid needs our help so do the right thing, or you can just forget having friends.

Hi, my name is Matt Dawson. I am 23 years old, and I have a large tumor on my brain and severe lung cancer. The doctors say I will die soon if this isn't fixed, and my family can't pay the bills. "The Make A Wish Foundation" has agreed to donate 7 cents for every time this message is reposted. For those of you who repost, I thank you so much. But for those who don't repost it, I will still pray for you. Please, if you are a kind person, have a heart. Please, please, REPOST THIS MESSAGE AS "READ PLEASE!"

Matt Dawson

702-355-6198 Home

Please feel free to call me for anything.

*hey it wont cost you but 10 seconds of your time

This is a typical message where everyone with a heart will feel tempted to do as this message asks: resend the message. Think about the consequences though:

The poor guy whose telephone number was posted will have to get a new number if people really do check up on this.
There is no way any foundation is going to be able to check up on how often this message is reposted, e-mailed or anything else. The FBI or www.myspace.com might be able to check, but even for them it would be very difficult.
There is no in-obstrusive way for you to check this. There is no website where you can check how this guy is doing. So you have to call someone at home - with the risk of intruding on their dying process or their healing process. Either way: not a good idea. Since there is no way of checking when the message was sent for the first time, you also have no way of checking whether it is still relevant - if it even was relevant to begin with.
The Make a Wish Foundation does have a website and actually warns against this sort of chain-letter (as these things are called).

If you'd like to tell your friends the above, you can link to this page in a bulletin or message by copying the following code into a message or bulletin:

<p><b><a href="http://www.katinkahesselink.net/internet/rumour-ill-kid.html">
Myspace chainletters: some sick kid will NOT be helped if you forward bulletins 
through myspace</a></b></p>