Long term readers of this blog will remember that for a while the links on my sidebar included a small number of blogs being written by women who were living with or through breast cancer.  Last autumn I removed the links after one of the blogs, pseudonymously written by "Annie", disappeared without warning.  At the time I was very concerned by this and contacted another blogger who I knew had met her in 'real life' to see what was what.  Here I postulated stuff around death and the narrowing of the world of a dying person.

Long story short, at the end of October the other blogger contacted me and we shared a longish phone conversation.  It transpired that, whilst very clearly ill, Annie did not have, and never had had, breast cancer; the whole account was fabricated.  I agreed to maintain confidentiality, but have, if asked by people who had followed the blog, told them what I know.  At the same time, I have been processing my own sense of guilt, stupidity and unintended complicity in what happened.  Yesterday the other blogger chose to break silence, something she will not have done lightly, and tells the story here.

One real sadness, for me, is that "Annie" was clearly a gifted writer, and her piece written in response to the summer 2011 riots was the best I read.  She had an ability to find genuinely inspiring and encouraging quotes.  If only she had been able to do this from a more healthy place.

I really, really hope that "Annie" is now getting the support and help she needs to move on with her life.  Like the other bloggers who have commented, I am glad that she does not have cancer.  I also continue to pray for her, as she lives with the impact this has had on her life.

Unusually, I am closing comments on this post.  Not because I don't care what people think, I do, but because any reader will, like other bloggers and me, need time to process the shock, incredulity and bewilderment this news brings.

I have kept silence for about four months; now it is, I believe, time to speak.  I am now far more wary about linking blogs of people I know only through cyber space.  I hope that I have not lost my openness to others and my natural leaning to believe people are trustworthy until demonstrated otherwise.