Boy, 8, endured unnecessary major surgeries after his mother lied he had cancer for selfish reasons

A mother has admitted to subjecting her son to unnecessary major surgery after lying that he had cancer for selfish reasons.

Kaylene Bowen-Wright, 35, pleaded guilty to injury to a child causing serious bodily harm on Friday, after taking advantage of son Christopher Bowen for years.

Bowen-Wright, from Dallas, began using her son Christopher, who is now 10, to raise money from when he was 11 days old. She launched various fundraisers for the youngster, claiming he was dying from a rare genetic disorder, and that he had cancer.

The mother took her son to doctors appointments and the hospital 323 times, beginning when he was just 11 days old. She made him stay in a wheelchair and made him use oxygen tanks he didn’t need. Christopher also struggled to eat or participate in everyday activities because his mother convinced him he was too sick to do so.

Bowen-Wright’s abuse of her young son saw him develop life-threatening blood infections that required intensive care. He suffered serious illness as a consequence of radiation he was exposed to during treatment.

But Bowen-Wright’s abuse was exposed in 2015 after medical professionals who dealt with Christopher realized the then eight-year-old was being subjected to medical child abuse. She was indicted in October that year, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Christopher was placed in the care of his father Ryan Crawford, where he has since thrived without suffering any further illness.

Christopher’s father branded Bowen-Wright “evil” in the wake of Friday’s admission, telling the Star-Telegram: “I am happy that she decided to do the right thing. Eventually, the lies had to stop. Now, hopefully, those who thought a mother could never do this to their child will see evil does exist.”

Bowen-Wright will be sentenced on October 11. She struck an “open plea” deal which means a judge has free rein in deciding how severely she should be punished, Metro UK reports.

She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.