Thomas Doty Hoax: Mother Of Man Who Died From Cancer Says False Hope Spurred Son's Decline

The mother of Thomas Doty, a young man who died from cancer, says that her family is still being harassed by the perpetrator of a cruel hoax that gave them false hope.

The Doty family claims that a false donor has harassed them for weeks, calling and saying she would deliver $250,000 in aid for their son. That help never materialized.

“[During] the time she wasted, there was another tumor growing that started out the size of a grape, and when the eight weeks went by it was the size of an orange,” Doty told ABC News.

Thomas Doty died Dec. 19, just a few days after his twentieth birthday. According to the New York Daily News, the family is now on a "mission" to bring the woman who scammed them to justice.

"I honestly 100 percent believe my son would be here if that time had not been wasted," Tiffany Doty told KOMO.

Doty was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, at age 17. His treatment was expensive and caused financial hardship for his family, so a famous friend stepped in to help. That friend was Johnathan Hillstrand, captain of the ship "Time Bandit" and star of the Discovery series "Deadliest Catch."

Hillstrand made a video in the hopes of raising funds for Doty's treatment.

A woman who the family believes is an "obsessed fan" of Hillstrand raised false hopes by promising money that never came.

"I don't understand how someone could be so cruel and heartless, preying on an innocent cancer victim fighting for his life!" the mother wrote on Doty's website under a section labeled "Heartless Hoax."

The family's lawyer is tracking down the woman and hopes to file criminal charges against her, according to Newsy.