Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD is a powerful journey of one mother's strength and tenacity to literally save her son's life. Beth Maloney is a single mother raising three young boys in Maine. Her middle son, Sammy, had a sudden and drastic change in behavior and his ability to function normally when he was 12 years old. He was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Tourette Syndrome. Sammy was a bright, gifted math student who was an active and happy boy. His behavior continued to decline rapidly and their family life was centered around Sammy's compulsions and behaviors. Sammy and the family were suffering and Sammy could not function on a day to day basis or even to attend school regularly. Beth would not give up and was a tireless advocate for her son to find the answers to his illness. She finally learned that Sammy's illness was caused by a strep infection, a disorder known as PANDAS. With much determination and tapping into any and all resources, Beth found two doctors that helped to cure Sammy.
Saving Sammy is a deeply touching and moving memoir of one mother's strength to never give up and an amazing boy who suffered through great pain to come through it all. This story hit home with me as I have a son who has struggled with and continues to struggle with health issues. I have had to be an advocate for my son and push to get answers. I understand that depth of feeling Beth had to find answers and the heartfelt pain in seeing your child suffer. I am still in the process of finding answers and solutions and hope to one day feel that relief that Beth has in seeing your child turn the corner and fly away from the ties that bind them in a world that others do not quite understand.
This is a video of Beth & Sam Maloney on the Today Show:
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Check out the Saving Sammy website, here.
For more information on PANDAS ( Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections), go to the PANDAS Foundation.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for sending me a copy of this book to review.
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What a scary story! Our son had a strep infection that was misdiagnosed and went untreated when we lived in France. We found out this summer that he has an auto-immune disorder that may have been caused by that lack of treatment.
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested in reading this one. I think mother's will go to any extreme to make their children healthy and well!
ReplyDeleteWonderful review Bonnie. This sounds like a very powerful book.
ReplyDeleteI am reviewing this one in a couple of weeks too and I had a strep issue which made it all the more interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteWhat a frightning ordeal. This sounds like a very inspirational read.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds very inspirational and powerful. Thanks for the review Bonnie. I had never heard of it before.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to tell you that the review is excellent. It is so amazing to me that a strep infection could cause this type of disability, something I always thought was a form of mental illness yet it's caused by something you can catch! Truly shocking.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the time you put into reading and reviewing this book for TLC. We appreciate it so much!