Tessica Brown, who went viral for cementing her hair with Gorilla Glue, says the GoFundMe she created is now under investigation and she cannot withdraw the funds, which she plans to donate to charity, she told the Post on Wednesday.
The Louisiana native, who is now out of the predicament and bringing a new, natural look, set up a GoFundMe early in her situation to get help with medical bills and buy wigs, but now that she has decided to donate the money, the company has won ‘ Don’t let her take it off, she explained.
“They won’t even release it to me because a lot of people called and said it was a fraudulent account,” said Brown during an interview with Zoom.
“Every time you look, you say you’re under investigation.”
When Brown started raising funds, she asked for just $ 1,500, but ended up shooting for more than $ 23,000. Now that she has consolidated her viral fame with a celebrity management team and a product line, she decided she wanted to return the money.
“I think we can donate to Dr. Obeng … and the rest I will donate to three families in St. Bernard Parish,” said Brown, referring to the famous plastic surgeon who repaired his hairstyle and the southern Louisiana location what she calls home.
“This is going to be very annoying because who are you to say, you know, this was a fraudulent account? On the one hand, Dr. Obeng brought me from São Bernardo Parish to Hollywood, as I saw the sign, to get it out of my head as if this man didn’t have to do any of that. ”
Obeng, a native of Ghana, runs the “Restore Worldwide” foundation and travels abroad to perform constructive surgery on people in developing countries who would otherwise not have access to the procedures. Obeng did not charge Brown for the procedure of removing the glue from his hair and she said it was the benevolence of the doctor and other donors that made this possible.
“I can show my appreciation for your foundation and I can also help someone else,” said Brown, saying he wants to donate $ 20,000 to Obeng’s charity.
The rest of the money she wants to use for the families in her parish that she knows personally are struggling and could use the money to improve her situation.
“No matter what I do, it’s a problem,” complained Brown, who was accused of putting glue on her hair as a blow to social media.
A GoFundMe spokesman told the Post in a statement that he “is in contact” with Brown and “working with her on withdrawing funds”.
“Before withdrawing, she must clearly indicate on the campaign page how she intends to use the funds,” said the spokesman.
Brown said he edited the page to say he was using the money for ordeal-related expenses, but that it was not updated to reflect his new charity plans.