Believe in Magic - Introducing Believe In Magic

Episode Date: May 2, 2023

Charity, celebrity, illness and control. The extraordinary story of a teenage girl and her charity Believe in Magic, which ends up challenging the very nature of sickness itself.

In 2012, a new charity bursts onto the scene. It's called Believing Magic, and it grants wishes to seriously ill children. It's run by an inspirational 16-year-old girl called Megan Barry. Just wanted to give them the magical experiences back. It has the support of the biggest boy band in the world, one direction. Believe in magic quickly becomes a household name in the child cancer community, putting on parties, sending thoughtful gifts, even organising trips to Disney. Every single child there felt like they were so important and they weren't poorly, they

weren't in a hospital. It was out of this world. Megan is adored by all those she helps. She had more sympathy and love for people than I'd ever met anybody before. Because she herself was extremely on well with a life-threatening brain tumour. Her handbag was so heavy none of us could ever carry it and it was full of medicine. When something doesn't add up about Meghan's story, a small group of parents start to question where the Meg is really ill.

I'd call it a witch hunt kind of thing asking questions like which hospital are you in. They know that they're not being honest about parry illnesses. We collectively said, we won't want it dropped, we'll find out this time. But is Megan actually facing a very different danger? It's so awful. It's really not nice listening to that, was it? What is this girl going through?

I'm Jamie Bartlett, a journalist and author, and together with the producer Ruth, we've spent the last year trying to get to the bottom of what really happened to Meghan Barley and her charity Believe in Magic. I cannot live with me understand why you've done what you've done to me. It takes us on a journey far stranger.

I just saw her, these were my thoughts. It's not a car. It's not a car, is it? And far darker than we ever expected. I know what the truth is, I've read the records and they just come in and lie to me. It wasn't supposed to have like this. Listen to believe in Magic on BBC Sounds. you