Gypsy reportedly asked her mother several times how old she was, but each time Dee Dee would become more and more upset. She told Rod that revealing Gypsy Rose's real age would only upset her.Īccording to an ABC News article, Dee Dee forged Gypsy Rose's birth certificate on at least one occasion, changing her birth year from 1991 to 1995. Rod remembers calling to wish his daughter a happy 18th birthday, but before he could speak to Gypsy Rose, Dee Dee intercepted the call, cautioning Rod not to mention her age.

Dee Dee refused to tell Gypsy Rose her real ageĪccording to BuzzFeed, Rod Blanchard said that Dee Dee lied to Gypsy about more than just her illnesses: She refused to even tell Gypsy Rose her real age. Later on, Gypsy Rose discovered that her father had been paying child support her whole life-despite her mother portraying him as an alcoholic drug addict in order to maintain the public's sympathy and charitable donations. Gypsy Rose's medical bills were covered by Medicaid, though her mother convinced her that they were surviving solely on donations, food stamps, and social security. Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee were moved into a house built by Habitat for Humanity and were flown across the country for celebrity meet-and-greets, concerts, speeches, trips to Disney World, and more. Soon, the story of the displaced single mother-slash-caretaker and her disabled daughter caught media attention. Dee Dee had already convinced doctors that Gypsy Rose's medical records were lost in the hurricane, along with many of their belongings. After their story spread, they were moved from Louisiana to Springfield, Missouri. Gypsy Rose became a local celebrityĪccording to ABC News, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Gypsy Rose and her mother were housed in local shelter in Covington, Louisiana. Dee Dee did all the talking, giving the doctors a detailed account of her daughter's symptoms, aches, and previous illnesses. ABC reviewed Gypsy Rose's medical records and concluded that she was treated by at least 150 different doctors, but every appointment had one thing in common: Gypsy Rose never spoke.

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