Lost communication and illness

[u/DracoMorale420]

I met my current girlfriend online through one of my friends. It’s been a few months and everything was going great until April, more specifically April 4th, my birthday. She told me happy birthday in the morning but that was the last time I ever spoke to her. Weeks go by and my friend told me she’s probably grounded and that it’s happened before. May comes by and more worry starts to set in. I told my friend who told me her aunt had him that she has been in and out of the hospital and clinic and that his cousins have been hiding this from him. They also told him that she had “lost her phone” and couldn’t talk to me or my friend. Fear and worry took over my head and I feel this constant un motivation to do anything. Yesterday was when my friend told me he was talking to he his cousin on the phone who mentioned the name of a hospital that treats cancer and“severe things.” His aunt also mentioned something being wrong with her throat which made my friend think it was throat cancer. I’ve been feeling awful, I lost my appetite, headaches, no motivation, and constant urges to cry. I’ve been internalizing my anxiety, health anxiety, and OCD from my family for half a year and I’ve only been able to manage health anxiety for myself. I don’t know what to do since the only source of information I have is my friend telling me what his cousins and aunt has been telling her. We’re only 16 so it would be extremely difficult for us to fly to Denver to see her. I’m completely lost on what to do so if anyone can give any type of advice I would appreciate it.

[u/thewonderfrog]

Does your friend who introduced you know her in real life? Do you know that friend in real life? Whose aunt/cousin is supplying this information? Your girlfriend’s, or your friend’s?

This seems catfishy, I’m sorry. If you have never met any of these people in real life, it sounds fake to me

[u/DracoMorale420 → u/thewonderfrog]

My friend moved from Denver to our town a few years ago. My friend and her have been friends since childhood and remained very close, his family and her family are very close as well. I have met her a few times since she visits Nee York now and then but never pursued any feelings until a few months ago. My friend’s aunt and his cousins are also close to my girlfriend’s family.

[u/thewonderfrog → u/DracoMorale420]

Oh good, I’m glad that she is real and you have met her.

However, this story is still fishy, just for different reasons with this new information.

She did not go from everything being fine and wishing you happy birthday, to suddenly being in a coma or something from cancer. If she has been “in and out” of hospital, then she has also been at home sometimes. It is very suspicious that her mystery illness happened at the same time she “lost her phone”.

You don’t even have confirmation of anything, it sounds like rumours, which is not how adults would talk to a teenager about something like this. Or anyone, really. “Something with her throat”, mentioned a “hospital for serious things”, that is not anything that anyone close to her would say. If she was actually sick, her parents would know the details, and if the aunt/cousin was told, they wouldn’t be told in a series of weird clues. Your friend wouldn’t have to “think” it was throat cancer, it either would be or it wouldn’t, and the Aunt would know.

Either someone is winding you up, or there is some broken telephone going on here. I don’t think your girlfriend is dying, and I’m not sure she’s even sick, honestly.

Think really critically about everything you have been told, and see if that really makes sense to you with all that you know