Stranger Misusing Picture Of OKC Girl With Down Syndrome, Parent Says

A picture of a 4-year-old Oklahoma City girl with Down Syndrome is going viral online. Trouble is, it's being misused. 

Monday, August 31st 2015, 11:08 pm

By: News 9


A picture of a 4-year-old Oklahoma City girl with Down Syndrome is going viral online. Trouble is, it's being misused.

Now, her mother feels she's being exploited and there's nothing she can do.

It's the picture's backstory that has the mother of seven concerned. She believes it all boils down to exploiting her daughter for popularity.

The poster, who she does not know, has gained thousands of followers, and she's doing everything she can to get the truth told, and the picture taken down. 

“She isn’t suffering at all. That is not the reality of her life. I mean, she is rarely in any kind of pain,” said Tosha Tanquary, Olivia’s mother.

Olivia is a vibrant little girl who has Down Syndrome and is full of life.

“She dances and rides a bike, and plays and swings and slides,” Tanquary said.

But in early June, someone posted a picture of Olivia. Tanquary believes it was taken from her Facebook page.

“That picture looked like she was suffering,” Tanquary said.

The poster alleges the girl is suffering from cancer, and it varies depending on the website.

“It was on 152 different sites,” Tanquary said.

And there may be more.

She first heard about her daughter's picture being shared hundreds of thousands of times from another family member in California.  

“So then she sent it to me and said I just want to let you know that this was out, and you know, being shared,” Tanquary said.

Tanquary created the blog, "Olivia is Not sick" to educate others on the viral photo's backstory. She says the picture was from a brief hospital stay in 2013 and Olivia just didn't want nasal tubes.

A far cry from what the person who stole the picture is telling his followers.

He writes on his Facebook page, "Ignore if you don't have a heart. One life equals one prayer, comment, 'Amen,' and then click share."

“I just didn’t know why anyone would do that,” Tanquary said. “It has opened my eyes a lot and I don’t really believe a lot of what is passed on.”

Tanquary has been in contact with the Down Syndrome Association.

She says they are willing to legally help her if needed. She’s even had friends report it to Facebook after she was told the photo did not violate its community standards. 

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