[Illusion]

This story might be a ho ho hoax.

The story of a 5-year-old child who reportedly died in the arms of Eric Schmitt-Matzen, a local Santa Claus actor from Tennessee, may have been be a hoax.

Days after the tear-jerking tale went viral, the Knoxville News Sentinel — the outlet that first broke the story — issued a statement on Wednesday, December 14, retracting their confidence in Schmitt-Matzen’s account after being unable to verify details or identify the boy.

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-...a-hoax-w456048

[wmbondurant]

[Illusion]

I shed all those tears for nothing?

[wmbondurant]

Originally Posted by Illusion ↗

I shed all those tears for nothing?

no ,crying is good for us ..

[blaze915]

Then give him an oscar i say

[invertigo]

This story struck me as hogwash from the start. How many "GofundMe" hoaxes, and embarrassing retractions is it going to take for editors to give their journalists enough time to vet claims like these before publishing them?

[Zambini]

Originally Posted by blaze915 ↗

Then give him an oscar i say

[imurpita]

"KNOXVILLE, TENN. - The story of a Santa who granted a dying boy his final Christmas wish touched hearts around the world, but skeptics are raising concerns about story details that hadn't been verified.

Eric Schmitt-Matzen, whose Santa story was originally shared by Knoxville News Sentinel columnist Sam Venable, says the account of a terminally ill five-year-old boy dying in his arms at a hospital is true.

WBIR 10News has independently verified several critical details of this story, but has agreed not to publish those for the sake of privacy. Schmitt-Matzen maintains his desire to protect all names involved.

In addition, Schmitt-Matzen's wife, Sharon, of 38 years spoke with 10News on Wednesday night and also helped fill in details of her husband's story and his response to what happened that day in what she said was mid-October. That differs from Schmitt-Matzen's original account of the timeline, in which he said the death happened "about six weeks ago." Schmitt-Matzen told 10News he had the time wrong and that his wife remembers those things better than he does.

“I know how he reacted that next morning, and this is something that weighed so heavy on him,” Sharon Schmitt-Matzen said of her husband’s experience. "I just know that he just needed time by himself to accept what happened because he obviously wasn't prepared for a child to die in his arms."

Out of a promise of privacy to the family and the nurse, Schmitt-Matzen has not revealed any names or identifying details."


http://www.wbir.com/news/local/santa...wish/370486645

[Morbid75]

I watched that interview and there is no way that guy was acting. Fuck that news magazine from publishing a retraction. He honored the family's wish for fucking privacy. Reporters would have hounded them and they might not want to relive that moment. It was a nice story in a sea of horrible and fake news stories that are published daily.

[invertigo]

ÏJust because it might not be a complete fabrication, doesn't mean his story isn't highly embellished. I've worked hospice, and palliative care for six years, not once have I seen someone pass away in the middle of a conversation like that. People suffering from terminal illnesses die in stages. They stop eating and drinking because they feel too weak to chew and swallow, then they stop talking to loved ones, ultimately becoming completely unresponsive. After a few days, dehydration sets in, and organs fail, one by one, like dominoes.
This is a very sensitive subject and im trying to be tactful about it. Obviously, I can't tell you what actually happened , but I can say that whatever went down, it did not happen in the way he said it did.