Betrayal Weekly | Angela (August 21, 2025)
Overview
In this emotional and riveting episode of Betrayal Weekly, host Andrea Gunning sits down with Angela MacVicar, a Scottish mother and charity founder whose life has been shaped by loss, love, friendship—and ultimately, heartbreaking betrayal. Angela recounts the highs and lows of her daughter Joanna's cancer journey, the birth of the Rainbow Valley charity, and her decades-long friendship with Lindsay McCallum—who would ultimately steal both trust and £86,000 from Angela and the organization they built together. This story is not just about deceits and criminal acts, but also about resilience, legacy, and the enduring capacity for hope.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Angela's Story: Family, Loss, & Advocacy
- Angela’s Early Life and Family: Raised in rural Scotland in a close-knit family of women. Became a mother at 17, naming her eldest Joanna (04:19–04:57).
- Joanna’s Illness: As a hardworking teenager and skilled Highland dancer, Joanna started developing strange symptoms at 16—bruises, unusual fatigue, and lumps (05:45–06:17).
- Leukemia Diagnosis: After insistent advocating due to dismissive doctors, Angela learns Joanna has chronic myeloid leukemia, changing their lives forever (06:43–07:36).
Notable Quote:
"At that point, leukemia hit me between the eyes. I knew that bruising was a symptom."
—Angela MacVicar (06:43)
- The Search for Survival: Facing long odds and little hope for a transplant match, Angela and Joanna become involved with the UK’s Anthony Nolan Register to search for a donor (10:58–11:18).
- Joanna’s Advocacy and Campaign: Joanna finds her voice—literally—by addressing a fundraising crowd, sparking a public campaign to recruit bone marrow donors, becoming an inspiration to many (12:19–13:01).
Notable Quote:
"She just told people that she wanted to live and thanked them for being there and for helping her."
—Angela MacVicar (12:39)
- Angela's Growing Involvement: Joins the Anthony Nolan Trust as a donor recruitment manager; the mother-daughter duo becomes a force for change in Scotland's donor registry (14:51–15:17).
The Bond with Lindsay McCallum
- Enter Lindsay: Through advocacy work, Angela meets Lindsay—a charismatic, ex-navy fundraiser—who quickly becomes both a professional ally and a beloved friend, their lives and families intertwining (15:58–17:04).
- Intense Friendship: Their bond grows through shared goals and daily communication; the friendship takes on a near-sisterly closeness (16:31–18:02).
Notable Quote:
"You didn't get one without the other. It was like cheese and pickle."
—Angela MacVicar (17:19)
Joanna’s Final Years and Passing
- Living Life Fully: Despite her illness, Joanna travels, skydives, discovers a love of journalism, and plans a global backpacking trip at 24 (18:52–19:43).
- A Painful Goodbye: A failed heart and lung transplant attempt marks the end of Joanna’s life at just 27, surrounded at home by her mother and sisters (20:10–20:30).
- Celebrating Joanna: Colorful, rainbow-themed funeral—a fulfillment of Joanna's wish for post-life hope and connection (21:02–21:44).
Notable Quote:
"When we can no longer be together, I will send you a sign and we can meet in the middle of a rainbow."
—Joanna (as recounted by Angela) (21:32)
The Birth of Rainbow Valley
- A New Legacy: Seven years after Joanna’s death, Angela and Lindsay co-found Rainbow Valley—a charity focused on holistic support for cancer patients, using Joanna’s love of rainbows as inspiration (27:47–28:17).
- Angela and Lindsay’s Roles: Angela as storyteller and visionary; Lindsay as operational leader and fundraising expert (28:49–29:21).
- Early Success: Charity gains momentum, Lindsay becomes its first paid employee, and the duo build programs together (30:13–30:37).
The First Signs of Trouble
- Cracks Appear: Years later, Angela questions Lindsay’s spending decisions for the charity. Their first real conflict leads to anger and a breakdown in their friendship (30:48–31:48).
- Gaslighting and Isolation: Lindsay accuses Angela of being a negative influence, eventually pushing her out of day-to-day operations—a troubling shift in their dynamic (32:00–33:13).
Notable Quote:
"She had me convinced that I was creating this negative atmosphere."
—Angela MacVicar (32:48)
- Manipulating Family: Lindsay even approaches Angela’s daughters, suggesting their mother is mentally unwell, furthering Angela’s isolation and confusion (33:52–34:19).
Discovery of the Betrayal
- Charity in Peril: 2022, Lindsay claims Rainbow Valley faces closure for financial reasons. Angela hustles to find a donor to save it, but Lindsay instead abruptly resigns (36:14–38:12).
- Uncovering the Fraud: While closing financial accounts, Angela and daughter Kendall discover dozens of unexplained transfers to Lindsay from the “Friends of Rainbow Valley” account—amounting to £86,000 (38:46–40:37).
Notable Quote:
"Why's all this getting paid out to Lindsay?"
—Kendall, Angela's daughter (39:36)
- Confrontation and Denial: Lindsay offers shifting explanations, then attempts to bribe Angela to “close it all up,” saying she’ll repay £20,000 (44:50–47:31).
Notable Quote:
"As far as I was concerned, she was trying to bribe me."
—Angela MacVicar (47:35)
The Aftermath: Legal and Emotional Fallout
- Police Investigation: Angela goes to the police. The investigation reveals Lindsay was siphoning funds for years, even taking direct donations meant for the charity (47:44–49:02).
Notable Quote:
"She was so deceitful. And these are people. This is money from people that she would know."
—Angela MacVicar (49:02)
- Understanding Lindsay’s Motives: Angela suspects Lindsay’s greed and impatience, not need, drove her actions. The betrayal cuts nearly as deep as the financial loss (54:40).
Notable Quote:
"She worked for the Anthony Nolan Trust when I met her. And Joanna needed a bone marrow transplant. And I questioned, did she see Joanna could raise a lot of money? Were we just a meal ticket for her? And that hurts like hell."
—Angela MacVicar (54:12)
- Legal Resolution: Lindsay pleads guilty to two counts of fraud, serves less than a year of a three-year sentence, and is ordered to repay the funds (55:29–55:40).
Notable Quote:
"Love is not like a light switch. You don't ever switch it off. I loved the bones of her."
—Angela MacVicar (52:45)
Resilience, Reflection, and Hope
- Angela’s Recovery: She refuses to let this breach of trust define her outlook:
"I refuse to live my life not trusting people... I know there are more good people in the world than there are bad, and that's what I hang on to." (56:39)
- Joanna’s Enduring Spirit: Joanna’s memory and message lives on, as Angela’s grandchildren see her presence in every rainbow (56:52).
- The Charitable Legacy Continues: Rainbow Valley survives and thrives, its mission strengthened and its profile raised by the ordeal (57:19, 57:44).
Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)
-
“Did she ever have any love for any of us? And that hurts like hell.”
—Angela MacVicar (03:00) -
“She just told people that she wanted to live and thanked them for being there and for helping her.”
—Angela MacVicar (12:39) -
“She was a fabulous friend. She was there for me in some of my darkest, darkest hours. And then I was confused. She stood and read a eulogy at Joanna's funeral. How could you do that?”
—Angela MacVicar (52:45) -
“She worked for the Anthony Nolan Trust when I met her... And I questioned, did she see Joanna could raise a lot of money?... That hurts like hell.”
—Angela MacVicar (54:12) -
“I refuse to live my life not trusting people with what I've been through with Joanna. I know there are more good people in the world than there are bad...”
—Angela MacVicar (56:39) -
“Rainbow Valley was Joanna's dream. Lindsay tried to turn it into a nightmare, and I wanted the world to know what she had done and who she really was.”
—Angela MacVicar (58:09) -
“But you know, when you have a rainbow, it's guaranteed the sun will come out eventually.”
—Angela MacVicar (58:49)
Important Timestamps
- 03:00 — Angela on the pain of betrayal
- 06:43 — Realization of leukemia symptoms
- 12:39 — Joanna speaks at the fundraiser
- 20:10 — Joanna needs heart and lung transplant
- 21:32 — Joanna’s rainbow promise
- 28:17 — Launching Rainbow Valley
- 32:48 — Angela’s self-doubt, Lindsay’s gaslighting
- 39:36 — Discovery of the suspicious payments
- 47:35 — Lindsay offers a bribe
- 52:45 — Angela on the heartbreak of losing her friend
- 54:12 — Suspicions about Lindsay’s initial motives
- 56:39 — Maintaining trust despite the trauma
- 58:09 — Angela’s reason for sharing her story
Final Thoughts
This episode weaves together the personal devastation of loss, the unthinkable fallout of fraud, and the enduring hope that comes from resilience and love. Though Angela’s trust was shattered by a close friend, her resolve to continue Joanna’s legacy and to trust in the goodness of others remains steadfast. This is not only a tale of betrayal but also an inspiring lesson in perseverance, advocacy, and the importance of not letting the actions of the worst define the outlook of the best.
For more resources, stories of betrayal, and community discussions, visit Beyond Betrayal Substack.