I’m a mum-of 12 & made a wish list for my baby with cancer – mean trolls accused me of begging, he didn’t get a thing
WHEN struggling mum Veronica Merritt made a wish list for her sick son, she was hopeful that the kindness of strangers would help make her life a bit easier.
But the mother-of-12, who lives in Syracuse, New York, was instead attacked by hateful trolls who accused her of begging.
One cruel troll even said: "Your cancer baby is your punishment."
Veronica wants to set the record straight and has now told Fabulous that despite her pleas, her four-year-old son Donnie - who is battling high risk cancer - didn’t actually get a thing.
Not only this, but the youngster does not have access to health insurance, meaning the hard-up mum needs to fork out for his medical care.
'They took all joy from him'
Veronica had her first child at 14 years old and admitted things “escalated quickly” after her first pregnancy.
Read more real life stories
And while some may think she has her hands full already, Veronica has now opened up about the ‘struggle’ as her baby Donnie battles stage 4 Neuroblastoma.
The mother told Fabulous: “I had a wish list for Donnie that I sometimes pushed because it brought him joy.
“I had a family wish list that was just for fun. I would give people the link if they asked for it.
I am really envious of families like the Radfords with their 22 children
Veronica Merritt
“People saying I was begging for stuff was ridiculous.
“He's a toddler with cancer. It's so crazy they couldn't even let him have that joy.”
Touching on the whole situation, she added: "It's been a struggle."
'I DO WANT MORE KIDS'
Veronica previously revealed to Fabulous that she would happily add another ten kids to her brood - as long as they come with a dad.
Veronica split from her second husband in 2021 and revealed that while she plans to remain abstinent until she marries again, she has not ruled out plans of expanding her family.
The mum-of-12 shared: “I do want more kids so I will look for another husband but I would want somebody who already has kids.
“If I could find a guy with ten kids of his own and we could make our own giant family that would be perfect. Honestly, I would be thrilled.”
It's been a struggle
Veronica Merritt
She added: “I love growing my family so I would be completely fine with any number of kids.
“I am really envious of families like the Radfords with their 22 children.
“To be honest I would want even more."
Veronica was just 14 years old when she became pregnant with her first child, Victoria, having broken up with her dad shortly before.
I do want more kids so I will look for another husband
Veronica Merritt
After first giving birth in March 2000, she recalled: “There was never an option in my mind about not keeping the baby.
“A friend handed me a pamphlet about adoption and I didn’t talk to her for ten years - I would have killed for her.
“It was scary but I was very stubborn - I was going to be a better mum than anyone.”
Her first 10 children were with Veronica's first husband, and she then went on to marry an old friend and had two more kids.
Currently, artist Veronica lives in a nine-bed home with 10 of her kids, and her brood consists of Victoria, 24, a mum-of-one, Andrew, 19, Adam, 17, Mara, 16, Dash, 14, Darla, 13, Marvelous, 11, Martalya, nine, Amelia, seven, Delilah, five, Donovan (also known as Donnie), four and Modi, two.
'I'M TRYING MY BEST'
As a result of her huge brood, Veronica’s yearly food bill totals an eye-watering £19,243.
Due to this, the single mum shared that she has to feed her kids soup, macaroni, hot dogs and packet ramen, as she doesn’t have enough cash to support her family.
The prices of everything right now are tight
Veronica Merritt
The mother explained that the family receives help from the government in the form of $1,400 [£1,100] in food stamps each month.
The content creator explained: “I never would’ve had kids if I’d waited until I was rich - I don't regret any of my kids.
Breakdown of Veronica's costs
- Food: £19,243 per year
- Christmas presents: £5,612 per year
- Birthdays: £8,018 per year
- Housing costs: £10,423 per year
- Total: £43,296 per year
“I’m trying to take care of my kids as best I can. This month I didn’t have any money, so had to spend $1,400 [£1,100] in food stamps.
“It’s impossible to feed 11 people on $1,400 [£1,100] - the prices of everything right now are tight.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“I used to feed a family of 12 for $500 [£400] a month but now you need $2,000 to $3,000 [£1,500 to £2,300] a month to feed this many people ramen.”
Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.
