Attention-seeking aunt fakes chronic illness, called out in front of family by niece that actually suffers from it: "I pointed out everything she said that proved she was lying."

Author image for Ely Bulnes
Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Feb 10, 2025 6:00 PM EST

We've all faked being sick before – at least I have as a kid. As you can all imagine, I did it in middle school in order to get out of an exam that I didn't study for. I spent all night looking up tips and tricks to figure out the best way to fool my parents. I woke up super early, exercised in my room until I was red-faced and sweaty and tried different methods of getting my thermometer to read over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When I succeeded, I took a picture of it to show my parents. However, when I went downstairs to tell them I was feeling under the weather, they just took my word for it and rushed out the door without asking for any proof. 

In our story today, a woman goes to great lengths to convince her family that she is ill. She doesn't do it to get out of any exam or event, though; she does it for the sheer attention of it. However, our protagonist, someone who actually suffers from the very illness she is pretending to have, gets fed up with the blatant lies and calls her out publically. Get the juicy deets down below!

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  • 01

    AITA for calling out my aunt for lying about having a condition that I actually struggle with?

    "I said the only medical help she needed was for her head as she clearly had issues."
    via Dominic Voinea's Images

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    So some background, this Aunt has a habit of copying everything anyone does and treats it like a competition. This also applies to illnesses. You mention getting ill? she is sick a day later and she always feels worse than you. Then acts like she never knew you were sick
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 03
    6 months ago I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that doctors think I have been dealing with for years. The only reason they found it is because it very quickly got worse and has ruined my life. It
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10466111744
    via studioroman
  • 05
    won't shorten it, but I am in so much pain that I can't even walk to the store that is right next to my flat without feeling extreme pain and discomfort. My sleep is awful, my social life has become non
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 06
    existent unless people come to my place. There is no cure for it, I'm on specific targeted medications to try and stop it getting worse, the best we can do is pain management at this point and I'm on the strongest painkillers I can have but it's still bad.
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 07
    When I was first diagnosed I posted about it on my FB, not in detail, just said what I had. The only person who knows the details is my mum.
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10466112000
    via Dragos Condrea
  • 09
    Yesterday mum picked me up so I could visit my nan. while we were there, aunt turned up. We were talking about random stuff at first but then she mentions she went to the doctors and they
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 10
    diagnosed her with (condition I have) and they think she's had it for years. I thought she was lying so asked her some questions regarding it and every answer was bs. She claimed she told a doctor her symptoms and that's how they found it, when you need bloodwork done to find it. She claimed that
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 11
    they were looking into different procedures to cure it, which again, no cure. When I asked what meds she was on she said there wasn't any they could prescribe for it and she had paracetamol to deal with the terrible pain she was in.
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 12
    She then went on about how its affecting her life, its made things difficult for her. Yet she does martial arts 3 times a week and goes clubbing every weekend like she's a teen and posts about it on FB. I lost it. I just went off about how full of it she was and that pretending to have something so serious when I was actually going through it was pathetic
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 13
    attention seeking behaviour. I pointed out everything she said that proved she was lying and said the only medical help she needed was for her head as she clearly had issues. She tried to double down and say that she never knew I had it, (she saw my FB post), she thought I would be more
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2

  • The hubris of this woman to attempt to go into depth about her struggles in front of the very person she “stole” her illness from is wild.

  • 14
    Cheezburger Image 10466112256
    via Anna Frank
  • 15
    sympathetic as I know what she's going through etc. At this point I was so mad that my mum drove me home. My aunt then later posted on FB about her 'struggles' and how some people just aren't sympathetic about this condition. I called her out in
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 16
    the comments of the post and mentioned what had happened earlier in the day and a load of other family started calling her out for it so she quickly deleted the post. However my cousin (her daughter) is now calling me TA as my aunt is upset I called her out. So, am I?
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 17
    Material-Crow627 NTA. She is using your struggle to benefit her own personal gain. You aren't wrong for calling it out. I would say maybe out of respect you could have done it in private and made it aware how you don't appreciate her talking about an experience that she has no idea about.
    via u/Material-Crow627

  • Why can't attention-seekers seek attention by being really nice and cool and helpful instead of these sort of shenanigans?

  • 18
    Recording No7280 OP did call aunt out in private first which was ignored and then aunt upped the ante by posting publicly. A public response is reasonable (and necessary IMO) to keep her from taking advantage of family members
    via u/RecordingNo7280
  • 19
    Pure-Philosopher-175 NTA. I'm sorry you are going through this and your attention-seeking aunt is trying to one-up you by lying about a serious illness. Grey rock her. Don't allow her or her daughter access to your social
    via u/Pure-Philosopher-175
  • 20
    media, and stop communicating with her beyond general pleasantries. Tell your mother to stop feeding her information too. Aunt can't copy what she doesn't know about.
    via u/Pure-Philosopher-175
  • 21
    CheesyBaked Potato2 OP Mum never feeds her info, she's also been a victim of my aunt claiming to have something she has, mum was diagnosed with svere asthma as a teenager, now my aunt claims it's always her that's been diagnosed with it even though my nan has said it was always my mum. Mum avoids her as much as possible and never talks to her unless she has to
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 22
    CF_FI_Fly I hate people that do this. I would strongly consider blocking her and her daughter on social media and seeing them as little as possible.
    via u/CF_FI_Fly
  • 23
    CheesyBaked Potato2 OP Honestly I already thought I had her blocked, especially because she is also the type to try and one up in activities as well, this isn't the first time she's tried it with me, but before it was just trying
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 24
    to copy my skills in art. I literally posted something I hand crafted months after I had done it, she, in the comments of that post, then posted almost an exact copy in forms of subject matter, just a much lower quality.
    via u/CheesyBakedPotato2
  • 25
    Realistic-Side1746 NTA for calling her out. It sounds like everyone knows what her deal is and are probably glad someone finally said something. Her daughter is probably upset that she has to hear about from her mom and like everyone else and you up to this point, has probably been playing along to keep the peace all this time. Don't sweat it.
    via u/Realistic-Side1746
  • 26
    spears515034 NTA. Illness fakers are the worst.
    via u/spears515034

Tags

family drama liar toxic attention seeking attention illness fake reddit story relationships aunt love entitled sick reddit thread red flag Reddit relationship drama
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