[1][2] Between 1999 and when the hoax was discovered in 2001, Swenson, playing the role of Kaycee, represented herself on numerous websites as a teenager suffering from terminal leukemia.
[3][5][6] The group created a webpage for the nonexistent girl and used photos of a high school basketball player from their town to represent her,[3][7] but do not seem to have played the role of Kaycee beyond that or given her an active persona.
[3] That came when Debbie Swenson discovered what the girls had done, and, rather than forcibly discontinue the hoax, she adopted the persona and began playing the role of Kaycee.
[9] After it came into Debbie Swenson's possession, the Kaycee Nicole persona appeared on CollegeClub.com in 1999, as a "sunny blonde"[1] teenaged basketball star in Kansas who shared thoughts and photos with others on the website.
[10] She made friends easily with both users and staff at the site, even volunteering to help with administrative work[1] and sending gifts to CollegeClub employees.
In 2000, Kaycee revealed to an online friend of hers, Randall van der Woning, that she suffered from leukemia, which was then in remission.
[1] Kaycee's blog recounted, in sometimes vivid detail, her struggles with the disease, including multiple hospitalizations.
The near-daily entries were presented as having been written by Kaycee or, in cases where she was too weak or ill, by her "mother", Debbie.
[1] She maintained an upbeat writing style despite her apparent hardships – her first entry said, "I'm beginning a new exciting journey ... into my survival.
[14] Debbie Swenson also informed Van der Woning when she told him of her death that there had already been a memorial service and Kaycee had been cremated.
[1] On May 17, blogger Saundra Mitchell posted an entry to her blog mocking people who faked illnesses on the internet.
[1] Van der Woning did as requested and kept the information to himself; however, this had the side effect of allowing the MetaFilter investigation to continue.
[24] Internet anger at the hoax was swift, with Van der Woning and many other supporters disclaiming Kaycee and Debbie Swenson.