Sickened by Julie Gregory

From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-rayed, medicated, and operated on—in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created in her mother’s mind. Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is the world’s most hidden and dangerous form of child abuse, in which the caretaker—almost always the mother—invents or induces symptoms in her child because she craves the attention of medical professionals. Many MBP children die, but Julie Gregory not only survived, she escaped the powerful orbit of her mother's madness and rebuilt her identity as a vibrant, healthy young woman.

This book reminded me of The Glass Castle with the shocking abuse by a child's parents. I am amazed, and saddened, at the unnecessary pain inflicted on the author. It is a amazing, though, that children have the ability to rebound, and even flourish as adults, from such treatment.

I did feel that some parts of the story were glossed over. For example, I wondered what the mom was actually giving the daughter to cause the symptoms, or were a lot of them not physical, but mental. I suppose this information could have been left out as a safety precaution. I hope that doctors today are much more conscious of MBP. 3 stars