Ultimately yes. Promises that couldn’t/wouldn’t be kept. He’d have had better chances appealing to churches in America to help his sick mother than to physically trek to America on a fool’s errand. But he didn’t know. He was lied to. It’s very hard for me to blame him.
Most 15 year olds are still incapable of fully understanding consequences and many have a sense of invulnerability as well. He wanted to help his ailing mother (poor way to do it of course) but I can’t help feeling sorry for the boy.