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A woman accused of pretending to have cancer in order to raise money for herself is to appear in an Ontario courtroom Monday, but her father said she won't have the support of her family.

"She was pleading for me to be there because she doesn't have anybody else," said Mike Kirilow on Sunday, moments after he got off the phone with his daughter Ashley Kirilow who made a collect call from a detention centre.

"I want no part of this. She told me to stay out of her life. I gave her every opportunity to do the right thing," he said.

Police allege 23-year-old Ashley Anne Kirilow of Burlington, Ont., organized fundraisers with the help of others who believed her to be terminally ill.

Ms. Kirilow turned herself in to police on Friday and was charged with three counts of fraud under $5,000.

The case has exploded, grabbing international headlines and causing outrage on a Facebook wall for the charity Change for a Cure, which Ms. Kirilow created.

Photos on the website on Saturday showed Ms. Kirilow, smiling, but looking sallow as she wore a pink knit hat to cover her apparently bald head. In the picture, Ms. Kirilow is making fists with her hands to show off tattoos on her knuckles that in black lettering read "won't quit."

Other photos, which have since been taken down, showed a pair of hands wrapped in tubes and taped in needles.

One published report last week quoted her as saying she was sorry for what she has done.

Ms. Kirilow made a statement on Facebook this year, saying it would be her last post because she was dying of cancer.

Mr. Kirilow called his daughter and after several conversations she revealed to him that she did not have cancer.

"In one of the conversations I said, 'you don't have cancer, do you?' and she said 'no,'" said Mr. Kirilow.

Soon, Mr. Kirilow said volunteers at Ms. Kirilow's charity became suspicious, and began contacting authorities.

"It's caused a lot of embarrassment, and we're ashamed of the situation. I'm not enjoying this notoriety," said Mr. Kirilow, who also appeared on Good Morning America on Sunday, disguising his face.

He said he feels compelled to speak out to clarify to the public that no one else involved with the charity knew of illegal activity, adding some people who tried to help Ms. Kirilow have received death threats.

None of the allegations against Ms. Kirilow have been proven in court.

The Canadian Press

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