Sickened

Sickened: The Memoir of a Münchausen by Proxy Childhood is a 2003 memoir by Julie Gregory. As the title suggests, the book details Gregory’s early years and the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, who has Münchausen by Proxy (MBP). This mental disorder manifests in a parent or caregiver who fakes or induces symptoms of sickness in a child as a way to gain attention and sympathy. After the book was published, Gregory’s story appeared on 60 Minutes, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and more.

Julie was born in Ohio in 1969. When she was three, her family moved to Arizona to be closer to her maternal grandmother. Julie recounts early experiences that suggest her grandmother had Münchausen by Proxy: her grandmother would repeatedly insist that Julie was sick, even though Julie wasn’t old enough to understand what “sick” was or what it felt like. After a healthy Julie was sent to the ER five times, her family moved back to Ohio to escape Julie’s grandmother.



However, Julie didn’t escape her mother, who began to show signs of Münchausen by Proxy herself. Julie’s mother, Sandy, told Julie that she had headaches and slipped her pills that seemed to make the symptoms worse. Julie rarely got enough to eat, and the food her mother provided lacked nutritional substance, like sugary cereal or cake batter. As a result, Julie was perpetually short on energy, often faint and lightheaded. Julie’s mother also managed to convince her that matchsticks were lollipops so that Julie craved matches as special treats.

Julie’s mother began to take her on so many trips to doctors that Julie missed school for days at a time and fell behind in her classwork. Julie’s father, Dan, showed signs of understanding the abuse Sandy was perpetrating, but turned a blind eye. He was sick himself, a Vietnam veteran who still suffered the effects of Agent Orange poisoning. He had schizophrenia and likely suffered PTSD from what he witnessed during the war, including the violent death of his best friend in battle.

Doctors also seemed to ignore the signs that there was nothing wrong with Julie beyond possible malnutrition. Copies of doctor’s notes and some medical records are reproduced in the text. One doctor noted that Julie might have some food allergies, which Sandy took as an excuse to deny Julie certain foods.



The family took in foster children and disabled veterans in a bid to get more money, as the government provided a stipend for the care of these two groups. However, Dan and Sandy didn’t provide much in the way of care. Julie was even encouraged to hit the foster children with flyswatters when they misbehaved. Sandy foisted other kinds of abuse on the children, such as pointing a gun at her head and relying on them to cry and beg her not to pull the trigger.

When Julie was 10, her mother insisted she had a heart defect and fed Julie false information to give to the doctors. Julie knew she would be punished if she didn’t go along with the lie. Concerned doctors placed Julie in the hospital to prepare for open-heart surgery. Julie became frightened and tried to tell them the truth, but they didn’t believe her. She had a painful catheter inserted, but when doctors found no issues with her heart, she was released without having the surgery. Julie was actually disappointed to be released. The hospital had been a welcome respite away from her mother’s madness.

Sandy also attempted to start bringing Julie’s younger brother, Danny, to doctors as well, but Dan put a stop to that. He beat Sandy into submission, warning her that Danny was “his boy” and that there was nothing wrong with his health. With Julie, he never intervened.



When Julie was in high school, Sandy did manage to convince doctors to perform an unnecessary surgery, insisting Julie needed a procedure to correct a deviated septum. Her father, meanwhile, found other ways to abuse his daughter. He told her she was too skinny and unattractive and that if she wore a bikini, everyone would laugh at her. Julie’s fragile sense of self was damaged by his cruel comments.

Once, Julie tried to run away to a group home, but her parents manipulated her into coming back after a few days. She gained some independence when she got a job, and Julie was amazed at having money to buy her own food.

When she was still in her teens, her parents’ house burned down while she was staying over at a friend’s house. After the fire, her parents separated, and her mother left for Mexico. Julie and Danny were left alone to fend for themselves. Later, her mother told Julie that her father had started the fire and that he had left the family dog inside.



Julie got older, gained independence, and at the age of 24 started taking community college classes. There, she learned of Münchausen by Proxy for the first time. The information hit her hard, as she suddenly had an explanation for her strange childhood. She began to fully understand the harm her mother had done to her and the many ways her childhood had not been normal.

Later, Julie paid a visit to her mother, who had remarried and was living in Montana with her new husband and their new adopted children. Julie was horrified to discover that her mother was beginning the cycle all over again with her adoptive daughter. The story ends with Julie choosing to call the authorities on her mother to save that little girl.

Sickened was a success, receiving widespread publicity in magazines and on TV. Although, some readers wondered whether her story might have been embellished in places, and Julie’s mother denies any wrongdoing, Julie remains an advocate in Münchausen by Proxy cases and speaks out against the condition. She wrote another memoir of her childhood, My Father’s Keeper, in 2009, focusing more on her father and his schizophrenia.