By now, everyone has heard of the new Hulu show called "The Act" which is centered around the case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard whose mother forced her to be sick in order to get money and sympathy, so she and her boyfriend ended up killing her and are now serving time in prison.

She and her mother were the center of many news stories. They went on a lot of charity trips through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and they also received a lot of generous donations from strangers. Her mother claimed that she had all of these conditions, and what is scary is that everyone easily believed her.

One of the first times I had ever heard of this case was through this Buzzfeed article. It was very detailed and very scary as well that a parent would do that to her child when most parents hope for their kids to be happy and healthy.

Of course some people are quick to blame Gypsy because yes murder is bad, however, she sadly felt like this was her only way to escape her abusive mother. She had tried to escape, but her mother always found out and she ended up back in her arms.

I recently watched a documentary with her in it called "Mommy Dead and Dearest"—it was on HBO, but you can always find it somewhere on YouTube—where they have interviews with her family, people who knew her, and Gypsy herself.

After reading the whole story, I can't believe that a mother would do that, but it is believed that she had Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

This mother was taking her daughter to the emergency room for little things such as a cough or a scraped knee trying to convince doctors that she had something wrong with her when in reality she was perfectly fine.

While the mother is to blame for what happened, the doctors weren't any better either. If they didn't find anything wrong with Gypsy then maybe they should have called the police on her mother or refuse to treat Gypsy because there was nothing wrong with her. I always wonder how her mother was able to get away with it for so long. I thought with the doctors' training that they would be able to spot a fake illness and report it to the police right away.

If you have Hulu, I would recommend watching "The Act." While it may not be all accurate, as most true crime shows are dramatized, it does bring awareness to this condition and Gypsy's story. I would also recommend watching the documentary as well, whether you have HBO or you find it on YouTube, it is worth your time to know the full story.

Here is hoping that Gypsy is able to get an early release and can have a normal life that her mom robbed her of.