Forward an Email for Polish Burn Victim Alexandra-Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor: A picture of a burned infant girl with the story that her name is Alexandra and she was injured in a house fire in Poland. She's being cared for in Cracow but her care is expensive and her parents are not able to keep paying. You are asked to forward the email and they will receive 3 cents for each forwarded email to apply to Alexandra's care.

The Truth: This is a hoax. There is no system being used on the Internet that traces the pathways of forwarded emails to compensate anybody. Additionally, if this is a patient from Poland she is probably receiving treatment through the government's National Health Fund. We don't know where the picture came from or who the girl is in the picture, but whoever decided to fabricate this eRumor apparently doesn't care that she is being dishonored and put on display for sake of a joke. If anybody knows who is in this picture, let us know so we can give her the dignity of a name and correct information about who she is and what happened to her. Updated 12/12/06

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Dear All, Alexandra came out of a rigging fire alive, but now has to fight for her life and a normal future. She is 14 months old and she has burnt skin all over her body, damage facial bones (as a result of very high temperature). She does not have half of her face. She is in hospital in Cracow - Poland and one of the best specialist is looking after her. However she still has to go through many surgeries and then long rehab. Unfortunately her parents do not have any more money. Therefore we are asking for your help. For each forwarded email her parents will get 3 cents. Please help them and forward that email to as many people as you can.