As the Knickerbockers' 5-month-old son Noah clung to life awaiting a heart transplant, the family was overjoyed when a friend offered to set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the surgery.
But before long, the page came down and the money was nowhere to be found, ABC News reported on Monday.
"I went to check the dollar amount, and it told me that ... this page no longer exists," Rachel Knickerbocker said. "Then, you know, my stomach dropped. So what does that mean?"
Her husband's godfather, Ken Wills, set up the page. Rachel Knickerbocker logged onto Facebook shortly after seeing that the page was done and noticed that Wills posted images of three donations checks to the organizations that helped the Knickerbocker family - Boston Children's Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House and the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
The family said they pleaded with Wills on how to allocate the money that was donated to their son. They have health insurance, but had to leave their jobs in Illinois to relocate for their sick son.
The family had been hoping to use the $6,500 raised to rent an apartment near the Wisconsin Children's Hospital, where Noah had been under doctor's care. Their home is an hour away from the hospital, so they've been staying at the Ronald McDonald House with their 3-year-old son, Nathan.
"The day prior, he told my husband he would have it sent to him," Knickerbocker said. "It's just kind of upsetting. We have so much going on already. Do we really need that, too?"
It was later discovered that the Ronald McDonald House Charities' received a $125 donation on Dec. 29, but nothing as of Jan 5, when it was supposed to be sent. Wills' checks on Facebook stated that $2,500 would be given to that organization. Boston Children's Hospital said they didn't receive anything, and the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin said they received a donation, but it was smaller than the check the man posted on Facebook, News Channel 9 reported.
Despite possibly being ripped off by someone they considered a friend, the family has received some amazing news: a heart has been found for Noah. He underwent a heart transplant Monday morning.
