Lais Basilio, the Brazilian woman who claimed to desperately need a bone marrow transplant while living in Ireland, has been exposed. The elaborate story she pushed and raised funds for has been confirmed as nothing but cruel deception. Lais herself has come out with an apology video, taking responsibility and claiming she was the only person involved in the same. Here is her story:
How did this hoax start?
A GoFundMe campaign was launched by Lais in June of this year, with Laid claiming to be a 23-year-old cancer patient in need of financial assistance and a bone marrow donor. Without a doner, she had an expected 48 days to live.
The campaign, which garnered significant public attention and support, detailed the individual’s alleged battle with cancer, including undergoing chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation treatment. She appeared on radio, in podcasts and in online publications with details of the specific doner she was looking for, as her condition was terminal.
As the student continued to claim financial hardship due to a lack of Irish government assistance, growing doubts emerged. These suspicions were fueled by numerous inconsistencies or likely exaggerations in her elaborate story, including:
- She claimed to have suffered eight cardiac arrests, including one where she couldn’t breathe for eight minutes.
- Her accounts of chemotherapy varied, stating at different times that she underwent eight or twelve sessions, even mentioning one session conducted from her home.
- She asserted that a team of doctors from Brazil was coming to perform her surgery, and said her cancer was at stage 4 with metastasis.
- Despite these severe health claims, she was seen partying and dancing at Dicey Reillys the day after she allegedly had surgery.
- Photos she posted on Instagram, supposedly depicting her condition, were reportedly taken from online searches, without any evidence of her presence. When questioned, she claimed she wasn’t allowed to take photos at the hospital.
- The woman who cared for her, initially introduced as a Brazilian nurse with a specific made up name, was later referred to as her doctor in another appearance.
Despite the inconsistencies and dubious timeline, the hoax persisted for several weeks, even as numerous individuals who matched her criteria offered to be bone marrow donors. Lais eventually claimed she had found a donor—remarkably, on the streets of Limerick.
After facing repeated inquiries about her situation, the sequence of events, her public appearances, and the lack of visible effects from her alleged condition, Lais ultimately admitted to the deception in a video posted on Saturday, August 10th.
https://www.instagram.com/lais_bdslv/reel/C-e2cUFMZHD/?igsh=MTlxaDZyYjE1YjhhNw%3D%3D
“I started this by showing my face here, and I’ll end it by showing my face. I’m here to take responsibility for this, and I would really like to apologize to the entire Brazilian community and the entire oncology society. I sincerely hope that after this passes, you all continue to receive support,” she said.
She also stated that the decision was solely hers and that the people around her, including family members, did not know it was a lie to raise funds.
“It’s important to make clear that none of my family members were involved. I did everything by myself. Regardless of what happens, I’m ready to take responsibility for this. They believed it just like everyone else,” she assured.
How was she found out?
Many online started to ask questions directly of Lais. They enquired about inconsistencies in her story, asked why she was never in the hospital photos, the source of her bone marrow donor and querying why she was seen in good spirits at popular Dublin nightclub Dicey Reillys, the day after her supposed transplant. This came to a head when the lies became too many, and Lais herself publicly decided to set the record straight and come clean.
How much funds did Lais Basilio raise?i
Lais raised almost €6,000 from her €10,000 goal on GoFundMe, this coming from 279 doners. Most of those who donated did so in small amounts, with most of these coming from other Brazilians in Ireland.
What will happen to the funds raised?
Lais stated in her apology video that all funds raised will be refunded. The GoFundMe page does remain active at the time of writing, however, this is expected to be updated shortly.
Where can I watch the apology video of Lais Basilio?
You can find the apology video here.
Where is Lais now?
Such was the public outcry, primarily from the Brazilian community in Ireland, and coupled with the media appearances, Lais had become easily identifiable. She was filmed at Dublin airport and may have left Ireland.
What happens next, will there be a criminal prosecution?
It’s unknown what will happen next, with the admission and apology video only released on Saturday 10th August. This story hasn’t been picked up by any major media outlets at this time in Ireland, and it’s unclear if the police in Ireland are aware.
