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Grey's Anatomy Screenwriter Deceived the World for Ten Years: Lied About Having Cancer and Drove Her Loved Ones Crazy
American Elizabeth Finch, a former screenwriter for the popular series "Grey's Anatomy", became a series heroine herself. A documentary film, "Anatomy of a Lie", was made about her. Finch lied for years about having cancer and faked the effects of chemotherapy. The woman was pitied, special conditions were created for her at work, and she became a famous columnist. The newspaper paid a significant fee. Thanks to the story of Elizabeth's former friend, the deception was exposed.
Finch was known in Hollywood as a talented screenwriter and producer. Her career took off after she published a candid article in Elle magazine in 2014. She told the story of her battle with a rare form of cancer, chondrosarcoma (a malignant bone tumor). The story touched many people, including Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, who offered Finch his dream job. The series' lead character, a female doctor, works at a city hospital where the staff falls in love and faces several difficult medical situations.
Elizabeth wrote 13 episodes (including a personal "case story") and produced 172 episodes. She even acted in one.
But two years ago, the house of lies began to crumble. Shonda Rhimes received an email from Finch's ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Beyer, revealing the truth. The whole cancer story was a lie.
Finch deceived his colleagues and the public for years. She relied on her mother's medical history. Colleagues recalled how Finch used his "illness" to gain special privileges at work. The screenwriter was able to work flexible hours and was lenient when it came to missed deadlines.
What’s especially astonishing is how carefully Elizabeth hid her cancer symptoms. Not only did she walk around with a catheter in her arm, but according to former colleague Andy Reeser, she showed up to work with a shaved head and green skin. She even faked the side effects of chemotherapy by pretending to vomit in the bathroom.
And that's not all. The woman lied about a kidney transplant, an abortion, and even about the suicide of her brother, who was actually alive and working as a doctor in Florida.
An article about Finch's story appeared in Vanity Fair magazine. The film company launched an internal investigation, but the woman was unable to provide any medical documentation to support her diagnosis.
Elizabeth was fired and her reputation in the film industry was irreparably damaged.
Of course, journalists asked the screenwriter why he did it. Finch admitted guilt, saying that his actions were “absolutely wrong.” And she explained that it was a desire to enlist the support of those around him. “It was a kind of addiction.”
Elizabeth Finch currently lives alone, rejected by her peers and loved ones.
One possible explanation for her story is Munchausen syndrome, a mental disorder in which a person deliberately fakes, exaggerates, or even induces symptoms of their illness in order to gain attention and sympathy from others.
In fact, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish curable Munchausen syndrome from banal egoism. For example, a very popular Australian blogger, Belle Gibson, claimed to have cured brain cancer with alternative medicine. It was later revealed that she never had cancer.