Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood

Julie Gregory

Nov 2008 · Sold by Bantam

About this ebook

A remarkable memoir that speaks in an original and distinctive Midwestern voice, rising to indelible scenes in prose of scathing beauty and fierce humor. 

A young girl is perched on the cold chrome of yet another doctor’s examining table, missing yet another day of school. Just twelve, she’s tall, skinny, and weak. It’s four o’clock, and she hasn’t been allowed to eat anything all day. Her mother, on the other hand, seems curiously excited. She's about to suggest open-heart surgery on her child to "get to the bottom of this." She checks her teeth for lipstick and, as the doctor enters, shoots the girl a warning glance. This child will not ruin her plans.

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.

Punctuated with Julie's actual medical records, Sickened re-creates the bizarre cocoon of her family's isolated double-wide trailer, their wild shopping sprees and gun-waving confrontations, the astonishing naïveté of medical professionals and social workers. It also exposes the twisted bonds of terror and love that roped Julie's family together—including the love that made a child willing to sacrifice herself to win her mother's happiness.

The realization that the sickness lay in her mother, not in herself, would not come to Julie until adulthood. But when it did, it would strike like lightning. Through her painful metamorphosis, she discovered the courage to save her own life—and, ultimately, the life of the girl her mother had found to replace her. Sickened takes us to new places in the human heart and spirit. It is an unforgettable story, unforgettably told.

Ratings and reviews

this is an amazing book.. but i am so sorry Julie that you had to go through this. I understand you have made peace in your life now and I am so happy for you. You write so lovely. My heart is still breaking for you and your mother. I knew there was some evil humans in this world.. but she is at the top of the list. I did not know what Munchhausen by proxy was. I did not know there was such a thing. I have loved this book word by word. I am sad that I am finished with it and don't know more about how you stopped your mother and your feelings while doing so. I am intrigued by your strength darlin. I tell everyone about this book and only one person has known what MBP is. I even graduated from LPN school (not in the medical field since then) and not once did i hear about this. I will continue to spread the word about MBP and encourage everyone to read your story. <3 I am now subscribed to get info about your other books (:

I loved this story. I wanna know what happens after Julie calls CPS!! Book 2 please! Thank you for sharing your story. You are strong and I believe every bit of what you wrote about. I pray you find peace.

The sole reason this is a 2 star is cause the price is RIDICULOUS. This isnt a paperback, its an ebook. Lower the price a few bucks and i will buy.

About the author

JULIE GREGORY grew up in southern Ohio. She is now an expert writer and spokesperson on Munchausen by proxy and an advocate
in MBP cases. A graduate student in psychiatry at Sheffield University, England, she currently lives in the United States.