After reading Sickened: the True Story of a Lost Childhood, immediately I felt a sense of sympathy towards Julie. The fact that Julie was able to share her traumatic childhood with the world is breathtaking. Julie’s story depicts the life that some teenagers are forced to face every day. I found it hard to put the book down as I questioned nervously what her mother was going to do to her next, or if the pointless trips to the doctors was ever going to end.
Julie Gregory was a victim of a sickness from her childhood through to her late teens. Her mother would always try to convince people that there was something wrong with her daughter. She began taking Julie to multiple doctors and specialists suggesting that they should perform open heart surgery on her. Whenever the doctors said that there was nothing wrong with Julie, her mother would become enraged and take Julie to find another hospital. When Julie finally blurted out to the doctor: “my mother is making it up!” (107) no one had believed her. When Julie was a young adult she found it difficult to cope with life without her mother, even after she discovered that her mother had “Munchausen by Proxy”. This disease is an uncommon condition that involves the exaggeration or fabrication of illnesses or symptoms by a primary caretaker. The disease was most common in mothers. After finding out that her mother was sick, Julie had to make some difficult decisions in her life.
Julie’s writing took the reader through the emotional story of a lost childhood that was unforgettable. Julie’s story is tear-jerking yet relieving at the same time. The book changed the way I think today and made me realize that not everyone can have such a loving family that I am blessed to have. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a heartbreaking novel but also happy endings.
“This will certify that the enclosed work is completely original”