The Little Chemo Girl

Can you see the transparent image of a little bald girl on the right hand side? The NEWEST Kaiser hospital in Irvine, CA, has documented 4 different spirits who wander the hall. They call this one the little chemo girl. Sometimes she is seen at the elevator and someone will offer to push the button for her. When they turn back around, she has vanished....

This sad tale and accompanying picture flooded the internet awhile back, and is currently making another round.  Really tugs at the heartstrings, doesn't it? Those who have commented on Facebook postings of this picture have been fascinated by its authenticity, with theories ranging from the idea that the little girl is an angel sent to escort the recently departed home, to simply being a little lost soul, doomed to wander the halls of this California hospital forever.

It's not true...

Like many other photos that seem too good to be true, this one is as well.  The image of the little bald girl is actually an image of a little boy.  While not as popular as the little girl in plaid, the little ghost boy (aka, The Little Chemo Girl) is a prominent feature of the Ghost Capture smart phone application, developed by Ghosts Don't Exist.  See him down there...bottom left, third one over.

Anyway, the ready-made caption to go along with this fraudulent photo mentions the name of the hospital and the fact that the "little chemo girl" is only one of several reported ghosts at the location.  Since even hoaxes are sometimes rooted in fact, I wanted to know if there were anything up with these claims.  What I found was simply that this particular hospital was built in 2008 as part of a larger hospital system covering several states.  I didn't run across any other stories about the little chemo girl or any of the other ghosts with whom she shares the halls.  However, I DID find a story submitted to the Shadowlands concerning an older Kaiser hospital in La Mesa, California.

In short, a police officer was in the basement break area, where emergency personnel were allowed to shower and get a snack while on duty.  A cup of coffee he was about to drink was knocked violently from his hand before a disembodied voice crudely told him to get out.  Other officers who responded to his calls for help were faced with the task of letting their brother in blue know that he had just had his first experience with Kaiser's well-known ghost. After that, the officer refused to use the services of Kaiser's break room, yet found himself once again in the basement area years later when the space was remodeled and used as doctors' offices.  Bringing up his experience years before, his doctor let him know that he wasn't crazy...at least six ghosts were said to have invaded the basement area which was once used as the morgue.