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Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD
The summer before entering sixth grade, Sammy, a bright and charming boy who lived on the coast of Maine, suddenly began to exhibit disturbing behavior. He walked and ate with his eyes shut, refused to bathe, burst into fits of rage, slithered against walls, and used his limbs instead of his hands to touch light switches, doorknobs, and faucets.
Sammy’s mother, Beth, already coping with the overwhelming responsibility of raising three sons alone, watched helplessly as her middle child descended into madness. Sammy was soon diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and later with Tourette syndrome. Unwilling to accept the doctors’ prognoses for lifelong mental illness and repeated hospitalizations, Beth fought to uncover what was causing this decline. Racing against time as Sammy slipped further from reality, Beth’s quest took her to the center of the medical community’s raging debate about whether mental illness can be caused by infection. With the battle lines firmly drawn, Beth searched until she found two cutting-edge doctors who answered that question with a definitive yes. Together, they cured Sammy. Five years later, he remains symptom free.
Driven by her desire to help others, Beth Maloney has infused every page of this triumphant journey with heart and passion. An important story, Saving Sammy is part manifesto, part medical mystery, but is at its heart the empowering and inspiring story of a mother’s determination to save her son, take on the medical establishment–and win.
Sammy’s mother, Beth, already coping with the overwhelming responsibility of raising three sons alone, watched helplessly as her middle child descended into madness. Sammy was soon diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and later with Tourette syndrome. Unwilling to accept the doctors’ prognoses for lifelong mental illness and repeated hospitalizations, Beth fought to uncover what was causing this decline. Racing against time as Sammy slipped further from reality, Beth’s quest took her to the center of the medical community’s raging debate about whether mental illness can be caused by infection. With the battle lines firmly drawn, Beth searched until she found two cutting-edge doctors who answered that question with a definitive yes. Together, they cured Sammy. Five years later, he remains symptom free.
Driven by her desire to help others, Beth Maloney has infused every page of this triumphant journey with heart and passion. An important story, Saving Sammy is part manifesto, part medical mystery, but is at its heart the empowering and inspiring story of a mother’s determination to save her son, take on the medical establishment–and win.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
46 people are currently reading
1244 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
May 9, 2013
My oldest son was afflicted with the same condition that tormented Sammy Maloney. He had been a happy, healthy child until shortly before his 11th birthday, when everything fell apart for him in the weeks following a high fever. We spent years desperately searching for someone in the medical community who could help him, with very little luck. Then we came across "Saving Sammy" and Beth's battle to save her son, a story that was painfully familiar. This book changed everything for us! It may literally have saved my son's life, and definitely his quality of life. For any parent who has ever agonized over a child's serious illness, felt helpless and lost in the face of that child's suffering, the story of Beth's and Sammy's triumph is incredibly uplifting. For our family, it was utterly transformative.
I should also mention that the author, Beth Maloney, graciously spoke to me on the phone and traded e-mails during the darkest days of my son's illness, trying to guide us down the path to our son's return to health: the path she and Sammy had charted with the help of some very special doctors. She got swamped with contacts from desperate parents like my wife and me, and she tried her best to help us all. This book is awesome. The author, and the courageous young man who shared his painful story so that other kids could benefit, are just as awesome!
I should also mention that the author, Beth Maloney, graciously spoke to me on the phone and traded e-mails during the darkest days of my son's illness, trying to guide us down the path to our son's return to health: the path she and Sammy had charted with the help of some very special doctors. She got swamped with contacts from desperate parents like my wife and me, and she tried her best to help us all. This book is awesome. The author, and the courageous young man who shared his painful story so that other kids could benefit, are just as awesome!
September 11, 2009
OCD and Tourette's Syndrome are still mysterious. Every case is different and there's no guarantee the "usual" treatment works.
Since I translated Harvard Medical School Psychologist Lee Baer's OCD book "Imp of the Mind" into Japanese, I have read quite a few OCD related books. I regarded myself quite knowledgeable with this subject, but I had never heard of "PANDASPediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections" before. I have googled and found very few results. In Japanese even fewer.
I'm aware that there are many skeptical views. But, I have seen many "controversial" ideas being proven to be true later. I remember reading about a mysterious disease 30 years ago, which later turned out to be AIDS. Nobody in the leading University Hospital where I worked took it seriously. And, as the author mentioned in this book, the connection between Helicobacter pylori and stomach ulcer was once also regarded controversial. How about Cervical cancer and HPV infection?
When I read the article by National Institute of Mental Health, PANDAS totally made sense to me. It was eye-opening!
I truly admire Beth Maloney's relentless fight to save her son( please do not misunderstand Maloney's position. She is NOT advocating that Every OCD is related to Strep infection.) And, I'm sure she annoyed many medical professions ( I was once one of them), but because of her persistence, Sammy recovered. If more medical professions are willing to look into PANDAS, less parents will have to fight and more patients will be saved.
This is the first book I strongly felt important enough to be translated into Japanese since Dr. Baer's book.
Since I translated Harvard Medical School Psychologist Lee Baer's OCD book "Imp of the Mind" into Japanese, I have read quite a few OCD related books. I regarded myself quite knowledgeable with this subject, but I had never heard of "PANDASPediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections" before. I have googled and found very few results. In Japanese even fewer.
I'm aware that there are many skeptical views. But, I have seen many "controversial" ideas being proven to be true later. I remember reading about a mysterious disease 30 years ago, which later turned out to be AIDS. Nobody in the leading University Hospital where I worked took it seriously. And, as the author mentioned in this book, the connection between Helicobacter pylori and stomach ulcer was once also regarded controversial. How about Cervical cancer and HPV infection?
When I read the article by National Institute of Mental Health, PANDAS totally made sense to me. It was eye-opening!
I truly admire Beth Maloney's relentless fight to save her son( please do not misunderstand Maloney's position. She is NOT advocating that Every OCD is related to Strep infection.) And, I'm sure she annoyed many medical professions ( I was once one of them), but because of her persistence, Sammy recovered. If more medical professions are willing to look into PANDAS, less parents will have to fight and more patients will be saved.
This is the first book I strongly felt important enough to be translated into Japanese since Dr. Baer's book.
September 17, 2009
An amazing and emotional story of how one mother literally saved her son's life. This is an incredible story about a boy who caught OCD. I urge anyone who has regular contact with children to read this book. This mother discovered what has not reached the mainstream medical community yet, that sometimes there is a connection between infections and mental illness.
I don't know how this mother was able to cope with her son's behaviors. My hat's off to her for her unfaltering devotion to discovering what was happening to her son. I can easily imagine a very different result for this child if he had had a less capable, intelligent and resourceful mother. As it was she stumbled on to the connection between strep and OCD through a personal friend of her mother's.
I found the information Beth Alison Maloney shares in this book fascinating as well as frightening; schizophrenia has been linked to the flu, bipolar disorder to herpes, autism to Lyme disease and OCD and Tourette's to strep.
I think this is an important book for people who have regular contact with children to read. I found it to be a well organized, well written and very compelling story that took me less than a day to read.
I wish Beth Alison Maloney and her family all the best and my heart goes out to families who are making similar struggles. I hope that some of them will find their way to this book. Read it and then tell a friend about it.
I don't know how this mother was able to cope with her son's behaviors. My hat's off to her for her unfaltering devotion to discovering what was happening to her son. I can easily imagine a very different result for this child if he had had a less capable, intelligent and resourceful mother. As it was she stumbled on to the connection between strep and OCD through a personal friend of her mother's.
I found the information Beth Alison Maloney shares in this book fascinating as well as frightening; schizophrenia has been linked to the flu, bipolar disorder to herpes, autism to Lyme disease and OCD and Tourette's to strep.
I think this is an important book for people who have regular contact with children to read. I found it to be a well organized, well written and very compelling story that took me less than a day to read.
I wish Beth Alison Maloney and her family all the best and my heart goes out to families who are making similar struggles. I hope that some of them will find their way to this book. Read it and then tell a friend about it.
February 27, 2013
I was very captivated by this book. Anyone who deals with mental illness within themselves or a friend/family member should read 'Saving Sammy'.
This book detailed just how dramatically, and how fast, OCD can take over a child's life. The story was particularly special to me because Sammy's struggle is one that I personally dealt with and one that is not commonly discussed in popular culture. As the story developed and Sammy's condition got worse, there were moments I could deeply relate to him pain.
While my experience was not the same as Sammy's, his story had strikingly familiar moments, specifically when dealing with doctors and family members. As I flipped through the pages, old feelings and emotions had a way of coming back to me.
His mother's endless search for an answer in our world's current medical field is terribly hard to read sometimes, yet I felt an odd comfort in her story. I could relate to things she was going through in a way I had never related to someone before.
Prior to reading this book, since I was young, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the ways the medical field addresses and treats mental illness. Not all doctors diagnose illnesses properly. Not all doctors who do diagnose the illness properly have the same prescription to the problem.
In this book, Beth goes on quite the journey to understand what is wrong with her son - following scattered bread crumbs of medical information - which frequently end up leading her to medical prejudices and aggravating egos. This is a journey I can relate to very strongly, having felt all the same frustrations at the age of 13 and not understanding why all doctors didn't have a basic understanding of what I was going through and a basic fix. I could not stop reading, I needed to know how this families story ended. I needed to know if Sammy would be as fortunate as I was, in finally finding the proper doctor and program.
Beth's story was a reminder that in a time when we feel like we have access to unlimited information at a mere click, there are still many answers our society just does not have instant answers to. However, the more we share and learn, the more we can help future generations who must deal with mental illnesses.
The book has inspired me to continue reading and educating myself so that I can be more involved in the ongoing understanding of OCD and PANDAS. Two illnesses that I feel are still not fully understood and greatly stereotyped by our popular culture.
This book detailed just how dramatically, and how fast, OCD can take over a child's life. The story was particularly special to me because Sammy's struggle is one that I personally dealt with and one that is not commonly discussed in popular culture. As the story developed and Sammy's condition got worse, there were moments I could deeply relate to him pain.
While my experience was not the same as Sammy's, his story had strikingly familiar moments, specifically when dealing with doctors and family members. As I flipped through the pages, old feelings and emotions had a way of coming back to me.
His mother's endless search for an answer in our world's current medical field is terribly hard to read sometimes, yet I felt an odd comfort in her story. I could relate to things she was going through in a way I had never related to someone before.
Prior to reading this book, since I was young, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the ways the medical field addresses and treats mental illness. Not all doctors diagnose illnesses properly. Not all doctors who do diagnose the illness properly have the same prescription to the problem.
In this book, Beth goes on quite the journey to understand what is wrong with her son - following scattered bread crumbs of medical information - which frequently end up leading her to medical prejudices and aggravating egos. This is a journey I can relate to very strongly, having felt all the same frustrations at the age of 13 and not understanding why all doctors didn't have a basic understanding of what I was going through and a basic fix. I could not stop reading, I needed to know how this families story ended. I needed to know if Sammy would be as fortunate as I was, in finally finding the proper doctor and program.
Beth's story was a reminder that in a time when we feel like we have access to unlimited information at a mere click, there are still many answers our society just does not have instant answers to. However, the more we share and learn, the more we can help future generations who must deal with mental illnesses.
The book has inspired me to continue reading and educating myself so that I can be more involved in the ongoing understanding of OCD and PANDAS. Two illnesses that I feel are still not fully understood and greatly stereotyped by our popular culture.
April 6, 2013
"[B]efore any child is placed on psychiatric medication, we must ask the questions: Could this be an infection? Could it be a virus or bacteria? Have we tested to be certain that there's no invasive cause? ... If we are told that the questions are not appropriate, if we feel embarrassed or uncomfortable for asking, or if we're summarily dismissed with 'No, that's not it,' then we must find another doctor. Because while I do not think that every mental illness is due to infection, the possibility of an invasive cause must truly be ruled out first" (page 249).
Maloney goes on to cite a 2008 report from Scientific American Mind that links schizophrenia to the flu, bipolar disorder to herpes, autism to Lyme disease and OCD to strep. Also, when Tourette first identified his syndrome in the 1800s, it was linked to rheumatic fever, caused by strep antibodies attacking the heart.
Maloney seems to have written her book with doctors and PANDAS moms in mind, detailing the dosage of antibiotics, her son's reactions, and the changes in strategy. She vividly describes Sammy's strange OCD rituals and skewed perception of reality.
Sammy's case is unusual because, prior to the onset of his OCD, he had not been diagnosed with strep. In some people, strep is asymptomatic. In other cases, patients have strep symptoms, but rapid strep tests done in the doctor's office result in false negatives. Maloney goes out of her way to point out that not all PANDAS cases look like Sammy's; indeed, symptoms are varied, and the diagnosis may center around mycoplasma, Lyme, or other infections, with no strep at all. (This form is called "PANS.")
Sammy is now recovered and in college at Carnegie Mellon. For interviews, or visual proof of Sammy's long-term recovery, search for the book on youtube.
Maloney goes on to cite a 2008 report from Scientific American Mind that links schizophrenia to the flu, bipolar disorder to herpes, autism to Lyme disease and OCD to strep. Also, when Tourette first identified his syndrome in the 1800s, it was linked to rheumatic fever, caused by strep antibodies attacking the heart.
Maloney seems to have written her book with doctors and PANDAS moms in mind, detailing the dosage of antibiotics, her son's reactions, and the changes in strategy. She vividly describes Sammy's strange OCD rituals and skewed perception of reality.
Sammy's case is unusual because, prior to the onset of his OCD, he had not been diagnosed with strep. In some people, strep is asymptomatic. In other cases, patients have strep symptoms, but rapid strep tests done in the doctor's office result in false negatives. Maloney goes out of her way to point out that not all PANDAS cases look like Sammy's; indeed, symptoms are varied, and the diagnosis may center around mycoplasma, Lyme, or other infections, with no strep at all. (This form is called "PANS.")
Sammy is now recovered and in college at Carnegie Mellon. For interviews, or visual proof of Sammy's long-term recovery, search for the book on youtube.
August 30, 2016
Compelling
Well written account of a boy who suffers from severe OCD that was caused by an undiagnosed case of strep in his system. He was asymptomatic for strep. It's truly frightening to consider how many cases of mental illness in children and teens could be attributed to infection in the body.
Well written account of a boy who suffers from severe OCD that was caused by an undiagnosed case of strep in his system. He was asymptomatic for strep. It's truly frightening to consider how many cases of mental illness in children and teens could be attributed to infection in the body.
November 17, 2009
My original review found here: Saving Sammy Review
I'm excited to have another opportunity to review a book for TLC Book Tours. This time the book I am reviewing is Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD by Beth Maloney.
Honestly, I kind of ignored the book for a while after TLC sent it to me, simply because I thought it would be fairly heavy subject matter (being a true story about an ailing child and all) and I wasn't really in the mood for that kind of a read at the moment.
Imagine my surprise when I finally did pick up the book to start reading and found that I could not put it down. Beth Maloney is a seriously talented writer and the book read more like a novel than the play-by-play of how you can also help your child in such a horrible situation that I assumed it would be. Her story is riveting, and she brought me right in. I found myself feeling her anguish as a mother as she watched her son deal with the horrible compulsions brought on by OCD. I found myself feeling relief when they finally started to get promising information, disappointment when hopeful cures did not work, and absolute joy when Sammy finally began to get better.
Not only does this book serve to educate about how Strep can be a very real cause for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but I came away wanting to be a better advocate for my children. Beth's experience taught me that I should never take a doctor's answers at face value. Especially if I knew in my heart that more could be done. A parent's job is to exhaust every avenue until you know that your child has received the absolute best care possible.
Obviously, I haven't had a situation that is quite as dire as what Beth Maloney faced with Sammy, but I can think of a few times where I have had to be a little forceful with doctors. There is the time that Bria had pneumonia, only the pediatrician swore that it was just a virus or something and did nothing. I took her into that office two days in a row, paid a lot of money in co-pays, only to be told it wasn't anything to worry about. Finally, I took her into the ER, where she was properly diagnosed with pneumonia by the doctor there. It was a hard decision for me, because I don't like to overreact about things, but I am so happy I refused to take my pediatrician's word for it, and got my daughter the care she needed.
Then there was the time that Chloe had 6 ear infections back-to-back. They would go away for a few days while she was on antibiotics, but return as soon as we finished the series. We tried several different types of antibiotic with the same poor result. The pediatrician I had then (different one from Bria's pneumonia incident) didn't think she needed tubes and just wanted to keep trying antibiotics. The poor baby (13 months old) had such a horrible yeast rash by this time that I was ready to never give her another antibiotic again. I had to push hard to get a referral to an ENT, where she was immediately slated to get tubes put in and hasn't had an ear infection since.
But those experiences are nothing compared to what Beth Maloney did for her child. When her doctors wouldn't look beyond face value, or listen to the research she had uncovered, she fired them. She combed the country and was willing to travel far distances in order to get Sammy the help that he so badly needed. After several frustrating experiences with medical and mental health professionals, she finally found a savior in Dr. Catherine Nicolaides, who had treated several children with OCD successfully with antibiotics.
Yes. Antibiotics.
Because apparently, there are a number of children who develop OCD due to Strep. Most of the medical field that Beth dealt with seemed to discount this research, or ignore it entirely, to her great frustration. But after finding Dr. Nicolaides, she found hope, and eventually a cure, for Sammy.
And she continues to be an advocate. Not only did she write this book to educate others, but she has helped many people get to the bottom of their own children's problems as well. She helped a friend whose son had been diagnosed with autism find out that his autistic tendencies were actually due to Lyme disease. There is research out there that supports this, and yet nobody asked those questions at first.
Be an advocate for your children. Ask the tough questions. Do your research. That's what I learned from this book. It really isn't about OCD at all. It's about being a real parent.
I'm excited to have another opportunity to review a book for TLC Book Tours. This time the book I am reviewing is Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD by Beth Maloney.
Honestly, I kind of ignored the book for a while after TLC sent it to me, simply because I thought it would be fairly heavy subject matter (being a true story about an ailing child and all) and I wasn't really in the mood for that kind of a read at the moment.
Imagine my surprise when I finally did pick up the book to start reading and found that I could not put it down. Beth Maloney is a seriously talented writer and the book read more like a novel than the play-by-play of how you can also help your child in such a horrible situation that I assumed it would be. Her story is riveting, and she brought me right in. I found myself feeling her anguish as a mother as she watched her son deal with the horrible compulsions brought on by OCD. I found myself feeling relief when they finally started to get promising information, disappointment when hopeful cures did not work, and absolute joy when Sammy finally began to get better.
Not only does this book serve to educate about how Strep can be a very real cause for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but I came away wanting to be a better advocate for my children. Beth's experience taught me that I should never take a doctor's answers at face value. Especially if I knew in my heart that more could be done. A parent's job is to exhaust every avenue until you know that your child has received the absolute best care possible.
Obviously, I haven't had a situation that is quite as dire as what Beth Maloney faced with Sammy, but I can think of a few times where I have had to be a little forceful with doctors. There is the time that Bria had pneumonia, only the pediatrician swore that it was just a virus or something and did nothing. I took her into that office two days in a row, paid a lot of money in co-pays, only to be told it wasn't anything to worry about. Finally, I took her into the ER, where she was properly diagnosed with pneumonia by the doctor there. It was a hard decision for me, because I don't like to overreact about things, but I am so happy I refused to take my pediatrician's word for it, and got my daughter the care she needed.
Then there was the time that Chloe had 6 ear infections back-to-back. They would go away for a few days while she was on antibiotics, but return as soon as we finished the series. We tried several different types of antibiotic with the same poor result. The pediatrician I had then (different one from Bria's pneumonia incident) didn't think she needed tubes and just wanted to keep trying antibiotics. The poor baby (13 months old) had such a horrible yeast rash by this time that I was ready to never give her another antibiotic again. I had to push hard to get a referral to an ENT, where she was immediately slated to get tubes put in and hasn't had an ear infection since.
But those experiences are nothing compared to what Beth Maloney did for her child. When her doctors wouldn't look beyond face value, or listen to the research she had uncovered, she fired them. She combed the country and was willing to travel far distances in order to get Sammy the help that he so badly needed. After several frustrating experiences with medical and mental health professionals, she finally found a savior in Dr. Catherine Nicolaides, who had treated several children with OCD successfully with antibiotics.
Yes. Antibiotics.
Because apparently, there are a number of children who develop OCD due to Strep. Most of the medical field that Beth dealt with seemed to discount this research, or ignore it entirely, to her great frustration. But after finding Dr. Nicolaides, she found hope, and eventually a cure, for Sammy.
And she continues to be an advocate. Not only did she write this book to educate others, but she has helped many people get to the bottom of their own children's problems as well. She helped a friend whose son had been diagnosed with autism find out that his autistic tendencies were actually due to Lyme disease. There is research out there that supports this, and yet nobody asked those questions at first.
Be an advocate for your children. Ask the tough questions. Do your research. That's what I learned from this book. It really isn't about OCD at all. It's about being a real parent.
July 8, 2016
This book starts slowly. The author's son starts demonstrating extreme characteristics of Tourette's Syndrome, and until 40 percent of the way through the book, she thinks it must be from the family's having moved from one house to another. Even though I have an older brother with Tourette's, with which he was never diagnosed until 10 years ago, it seems that the tics, snorts, throat-clearing, and repetitive actions of the author's son should have at least given her the idea that her son had a serious mental illness, especially since her son's symptoms were SO severe and time-consuming.
When my brother started going up and down the front steps of our house several times when he was in grade school, the whole family knew something was going on. In this book, the author doesn't seem to even get on the Internet until months after her son screams all the time and has violent tics and compulsions. I would think she would have acted sooner.
Once she does act, however, the book becomes greatly engaging and is an excellent narrative of her battle with opinionated doctors who won't even consider that strep has triggered this illness in her child. There are several doctors whom she never goes back to, and with good reason. Her ex-husband laughs it off and says it's from "overmothering." If I had been she, I would have said, "No, it's from underFATHERING, you idiot."
Once she undertakes to find out exactly what is wrong with her son, the author is relentless in reading about it, searching through numerous dismissive doctors until she finally finds two that believe her son has PANDAS, a form of sudden-onset Tourette's caused by a strep infection that may never even have presented itself symptomatically. Sure enough, the strep titers from his blood work show incredibly elevated levels, and the race to find a cure is on.
It sounds like two years of absolute hell for the author, as she has to perform a large number of highly idiosyncratic behaviors because her son won't open his eyes or go through the front door, and he needs constant attending to. Sometimes it takes him an hour to get into their van because of all the compulsive behaviors he feels obligated to fulfill first.
When her son is put on the correct cocktail of drugs, they reduce his symptoms and gradually bring him back to himself. By the end of the book, he appears completely symptom-free, and the mother is crying all the time with relief and happiness. The ending is heartwarming, and I think this would make a great movie because of the bizarreness of her son's symptoms would translate well to the screen.
It's an ultimately charming book that alternately makes you furious with the arrogance of some doctors, who dismiss out of hand something they don't really know about, and because the mother is such a trouper whom nothing will stop.
I'd recommend this book to anybody. It's a great story. This book will save a lot of lives.
When my brother started going up and down the front steps of our house several times when he was in grade school, the whole family knew something was going on. In this book, the author doesn't seem to even get on the Internet until months after her son screams all the time and has violent tics and compulsions. I would think she would have acted sooner.
Once she does act, however, the book becomes greatly engaging and is an excellent narrative of her battle with opinionated doctors who won't even consider that strep has triggered this illness in her child. There are several doctors whom she never goes back to, and with good reason. Her ex-husband laughs it off and says it's from "overmothering." If I had been she, I would have said, "No, it's from underFATHERING, you idiot."
Once she undertakes to find out exactly what is wrong with her son, the author is relentless in reading about it, searching through numerous dismissive doctors until she finally finds two that believe her son has PANDAS, a form of sudden-onset Tourette's caused by a strep infection that may never even have presented itself symptomatically. Sure enough, the strep titers from his blood work show incredibly elevated levels, and the race to find a cure is on.
It sounds like two years of absolute hell for the author, as she has to perform a large number of highly idiosyncratic behaviors because her son won't open his eyes or go through the front door, and he needs constant attending to. Sometimes it takes him an hour to get into their van because of all the compulsive behaviors he feels obligated to fulfill first.
When her son is put on the correct cocktail of drugs, they reduce his symptoms and gradually bring him back to himself. By the end of the book, he appears completely symptom-free, and the mother is crying all the time with relief and happiness. The ending is heartwarming, and I think this would make a great movie because of the bizarreness of her son's symptoms would translate well to the screen.
It's an ultimately charming book that alternately makes you furious with the arrogance of some doctors, who dismiss out of hand something they don't really know about, and because the mother is such a trouper whom nothing will stop.
I'd recommend this book to anybody. It's a great story. This book will save a lot of lives.
September 9, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. It was extremely enlightening to me about what a severe OCD child goes through and also how they may be helped if they have PANDAS. You truly get into the story and see what this mother went through. You see the pain that it causes her other children. While I didn't always agree with all of her decisions and spent a lot of the book wondering why the father wasn't helping out more, I still found her thought process fascinating. You feel her struggles of not giving up on her son no matter what and the happiness when Sammy starts getting better. I'm not sure what to think about the treatment because it needs more research but I really enjoyed the book about the journey. I would highly recommend this book to most anyone.
May 11, 2019
Living this story & still seeking answers. Beth’s story powerful and reignited the flame to get to root of my own child’s illness. I marvel at her strength and truly admire how she managed to move day-to-day with strength & grace. Many moments in this journey are gritty so this lady is gull of admiration for those who go before us, laying a foundation of change, purpose, proper treatment, and not accepting anything less than the desire to help children while remaining open to answers outside standard medical realm. Awesome journey of faith & commitment through ultimate sacrifice of parental love!
December 30, 2009
It's not difficult to be swept up into Beth Maloney's nightmare. Parents will read this book with a shudder, wondering if they could possibly match Maloney's patience and tenacity as she struggles with the medical mystery that is her son Sammy. The book serves as a reminder that while doctors are professionals, they don't have all the answers. Ultimately it is up to the patient (or in this case, the mother) to do outside research and become their own advocate.
February 12, 2019
This book is invaluable if you have a child or know a child who has PANDAS.
This is the story of a mother who won’t take no for an answer until she is able to cure her suffering child.
Everyone should learn about PANDAS, parents, teachers, dr’s, psychologists, etc.
This is the story of a mother who won’t take no for an answer until she is able to cure her suffering child.
Everyone should learn about PANDAS, parents, teachers, dr’s, psychologists, etc.
August 11, 2025
Great book to show one boy and mother’s journey through PANDAS
November 23, 2009
The Short of It:
A startling look at one family’s experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder and how a mother’s unwavering quest for a cure slowly brings about change within the medical community. Touching and well-told. This is a story with a purpose.
The Rest of It:
I picked this book up, read about ten pages and then could not put it down. I finished it in just a few sittings. Anyone with a child can relate to the difficulties of dealing with a sick kid. There is nothing worse than seeing your son or daughter struggle through an illness, be it flu or something more serious. In this case though, Sammy is struck with obsessive-compulsive disorder and it hits him out of blue. One day he is well, and the next day he isn’t. It’s starts with little quirks. Sammy’s need to touch a wall as he passes, or his need to enter a room a certain way. His mother, Beth, chalks it up to being a kid. Sometimes kids do weird things. As time passes though, his need to do things a certain way become compulsions which take several hours to complete. Simple activities such as going to school because extremely complicated when it takes over two hours just to get him dressed and out the door.
After taking Sammy to psychiatrist with no success, Beth discovers through research and a conversation with a friend, that Strep is sometimes related to OCD. This prompts additional testing and an elevated strep titer is discovered which leads to a diagnosis of PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal). However, since the condition is fairly new, many of the doctors that Beth encounter, do not want to treat it as such even though Sammy seems to improve dramatically when the strep is treated.
This book was a bit of an eye opener for me. I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder a few years ago and the doctors at the time believed it to be caused by strep as I had an undiagnosed strep infection and the symptoms of the auto-immune disorder came on suddenly, nearly overnight. However, I didn’t believe that to be the cause and although I was treated for a common strep infection and went through one round of antibiotics, my symptoms did not improve and they began to treat me for Lupus. Over the course of a year I have been treated off and on for strep as I have had three strep infections and no symptoms of strep, silent strep is what they call it. I’ve also been treated for Lupus though and now I seem to have a handle on it, but was strep really the cause? After reading Beth’s book, I tend to think it may have played a role in it.
What impressed me with this book is that no matter how dire the situation, Beth remained positive. Sure, she had doubts but she displayed incredible patience with not only Sammy but her other children as well. Her entire household was turned upside down by this and her willingness to put it all on the line for the sake of getting Sammy well really struck a chord with me.
What stuck out a bit for me was the lack of a father figure in most of Beth’s story. Sammy’s father does come into the picture towards the end of the book but with all that was going on, and with all that Beth had to endure, I kept waiting for the Sammy’s dad to make an appearance. They are divorced at the beginning of the story but with Sammy’s condition being so severe, I expected a bit more involvement from the dad.
Overall, I feel that this is a valuable story for anyone that is dealing with a sick child, even if their child’s illness is not OCD. The perseverance that Beth displayed and the textbook comments from most of these doctors really make you question Western medicine as a whole.
A startling look at one family’s experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder and how a mother’s unwavering quest for a cure slowly brings about change within the medical community. Touching and well-told. This is a story with a purpose.
The Rest of It:
I picked this book up, read about ten pages and then could not put it down. I finished it in just a few sittings. Anyone with a child can relate to the difficulties of dealing with a sick kid. There is nothing worse than seeing your son or daughter struggle through an illness, be it flu or something more serious. In this case though, Sammy is struck with obsessive-compulsive disorder and it hits him out of blue. One day he is well, and the next day he isn’t. It’s starts with little quirks. Sammy’s need to touch a wall as he passes, or his need to enter a room a certain way. His mother, Beth, chalks it up to being a kid. Sometimes kids do weird things. As time passes though, his need to do things a certain way become compulsions which take several hours to complete. Simple activities such as going to school because extremely complicated when it takes over two hours just to get him dressed and out the door.
After taking Sammy to psychiatrist with no success, Beth discovers through research and a conversation with a friend, that Strep is sometimes related to OCD. This prompts additional testing and an elevated strep titer is discovered which leads to a diagnosis of PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal). However, since the condition is fairly new, many of the doctors that Beth encounter, do not want to treat it as such even though Sammy seems to improve dramatically when the strep is treated.
This book was a bit of an eye opener for me. I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder a few years ago and the doctors at the time believed it to be caused by strep as I had an undiagnosed strep infection and the symptoms of the auto-immune disorder came on suddenly, nearly overnight. However, I didn’t believe that to be the cause and although I was treated for a common strep infection and went through one round of antibiotics, my symptoms did not improve and they began to treat me for Lupus. Over the course of a year I have been treated off and on for strep as I have had three strep infections and no symptoms of strep, silent strep is what they call it. I’ve also been treated for Lupus though and now I seem to have a handle on it, but was strep really the cause? After reading Beth’s book, I tend to think it may have played a role in it.
What impressed me with this book is that no matter how dire the situation, Beth remained positive. Sure, she had doubts but she displayed incredible patience with not only Sammy but her other children as well. Her entire household was turned upside down by this and her willingness to put it all on the line for the sake of getting Sammy well really struck a chord with me.
What stuck out a bit for me was the lack of a father figure in most of Beth’s story. Sammy’s father does come into the picture towards the end of the book but with all that was going on, and with all that Beth had to endure, I kept waiting for the Sammy’s dad to make an appearance. They are divorced at the beginning of the story but with Sammy’s condition being so severe, I expected a bit more involvement from the dad.
Overall, I feel that this is a valuable story for anyone that is dealing with a sick child, even if their child’s illness is not OCD. The perseverance that Beth displayed and the textbook comments from most of these doctors really make you question Western medicine as a whole.
August 15, 2012
Imagine... you are a newly single mom with three sons. All your boys are wonderful and your son Sammy who just completed 5th grade has been told by his teacher that he scores higher in math skills then she has ever seen.
Then that summer before 6th grade right after a move into a new home, Sammy starts some strange behavior. He refuses to use the bathroom in the house and wants to only go outside to do his bathroom "business", he also refuses to touch door knobs, and picks up things like silverware and phones with a kleenex over his hand. Sammy slithers against walls, climbs over invisible obstacles, eats and walks with his eyes shut, hops to and from the car, has outbursts for no reason, refuses to bathe, and overall seems to be slipping into madness.
At first Beth Maloney, Sam's mother, feels it is stress related due to her recent divorce from the boys father as well as the newness and/or strangeness of the new home. But Sammy continues to get worse, unable to visit friends, go to school when it starts, or be left unattended. Beth feels she is going crazy, missing work and visiting dr after dr as they diagnose Sammy with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) PANDA's and even tourettes. Later, Sammy gets to the point where he is unable to climb stairs and needs 20 - 40 minutes to get in or out of a vehicle.
This book is the true story of Beth's undieing strength to find out what was wrong with her son, traveling to many doctor, trying many different options for cures, refusing to let go until her boy was brought back to who he once was.
Why did I want to read this book? I enjoy books about triumph over all odds and this subject matter interests me. My own son in 4th grade was told by his teacher that he had ADD. Being a young mom and having no resources to assist me, I agreed to put our son on the ADD medicine. I remember that school year being a battle as the pills had to be taken at noon but they had to remain in the main office. My son would continuously forget to go at noon to take his pill and then the office would refuse to give it to him because he did not come at the right time even though forgetfulness is a side affect of ADD. *sigh* Once summer came, I took our son off the medicine because it gave him headaches and told him we would see if a teacher said anything in the fall when he started middle school. No one ever said that he had ADD again.
I did not mean to listen to this audio book now. Ok, that sounds harsh, but in fact it is a cool thing. What I mean is last week while mowing the lawn my last audio book ended. The only book I had on my IPOD that I had not listened to yet was this one. I felt I was not in the mood for a non fiction read but felt I could listen to it until I was done mowing for the day. I instantly found myself engaged in the story line. I did not know behavior could change so quickly and I gave Beth a lot of credit for handling it as well as she did. (She admits to coming near to snapping a couple times but really - who wouldnt?)
Sammy's story is truly incredible. The narrator, Tavia Gilbert did a nice job of reading from Beth's perspective. She read with such intensity and passion that I had to check to make sure Beth was not reading this herself!
I would think that anyone who has a child who has been diagnosed with OCD could relate well to this book - to Beth's celebration of the small triumphs and the sheer downfall when habits returned after feeling it may be over.
Then that summer before 6th grade right after a move into a new home, Sammy starts some strange behavior. He refuses to use the bathroom in the house and wants to only go outside to do his bathroom "business", he also refuses to touch door knobs, and picks up things like silverware and phones with a kleenex over his hand. Sammy slithers against walls, climbs over invisible obstacles, eats and walks with his eyes shut, hops to and from the car, has outbursts for no reason, refuses to bathe, and overall seems to be slipping into madness.
At first Beth Maloney, Sam's mother, feels it is stress related due to her recent divorce from the boys father as well as the newness and/or strangeness of the new home. But Sammy continues to get worse, unable to visit friends, go to school when it starts, or be left unattended. Beth feels she is going crazy, missing work and visiting dr after dr as they diagnose Sammy with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) PANDA's and even tourettes. Later, Sammy gets to the point where he is unable to climb stairs and needs 20 - 40 minutes to get in or out of a vehicle.
This book is the true story of Beth's undieing strength to find out what was wrong with her son, traveling to many doctor, trying many different options for cures, refusing to let go until her boy was brought back to who he once was.
Why did I want to read this book? I enjoy books about triumph over all odds and this subject matter interests me. My own son in 4th grade was told by his teacher that he had ADD. Being a young mom and having no resources to assist me, I agreed to put our son on the ADD medicine. I remember that school year being a battle as the pills had to be taken at noon but they had to remain in the main office. My son would continuously forget to go at noon to take his pill and then the office would refuse to give it to him because he did not come at the right time even though forgetfulness is a side affect of ADD. *sigh* Once summer came, I took our son off the medicine because it gave him headaches and told him we would see if a teacher said anything in the fall when he started middle school. No one ever said that he had ADD again.
I did not mean to listen to this audio book now. Ok, that sounds harsh, but in fact it is a cool thing. What I mean is last week while mowing the lawn my last audio book ended. The only book I had on my IPOD that I had not listened to yet was this one. I felt I was not in the mood for a non fiction read but felt I could listen to it until I was done mowing for the day. I instantly found myself engaged in the story line. I did not know behavior could change so quickly and I gave Beth a lot of credit for handling it as well as she did. (She admits to coming near to snapping a couple times but really - who wouldnt?)
Sammy's story is truly incredible. The narrator, Tavia Gilbert did a nice job of reading from Beth's perspective. She read with such intensity and passion that I had to check to make sure Beth was not reading this herself!
I would think that anyone who has a child who has been diagnosed with OCD could relate well to this book - to Beth's celebration of the small triumphs and the sheer downfall when habits returned after feeling it may be over.
September 26, 2012
The book I was referring to in my post from last night was Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD, by Beth Alison Maloney. I sat down to read at 6pm and finished it a few hours later. I swear, I meant to get off the couch and work on my final exams, but it just didn’t happen. I was really taken aback by how much this book affected me.
Maloney’s son Sammy inexplicably developed OCD-like symptoms after a move. At first she thought he was acting strange under stress due to the move and divorce from Sammy’s father, but the symptoms continued to worsen and the medications didn’t help. Sammy’s compulsions grew worse and worse to the point where he was uncontrollable, it took him forever to do anything, and he could not attend school. As a single mother, Maloney’s hand were full caring for Sammy and desperately trying to get to the bottom of his illness, and meanwhile, she had a son away at boarding school and a younger son at home.
Sammy saw many doctors, but it wasn’t until he met with one doctor in particular that they came across a possible diagnosis: PANDAS, or Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. Apparently, Sammy had asymptomatic strep, and this was causing his OCD and Tourette’s-like behaviors. Finally, with the support of this and another new doctor, Sammy was finally put on a course of medications that seemed to help. Of course, there were more ups and downs, but by controlling the strep with antibiotics, Sammy was able to return to his previous self. The book ends off with him attending the same boarding school where his older brother went, and getting straight As.
What was so disturbing about this book was that few of the doctors really understood what was going on with Sammy, and since there wasn’t a lot of literature out there on PANDAS, they simply didn’t look into it as a possible cause. It was also horrifying to read about how Sammy was so destroyed by his compulsions. Maloney describes instances where it took him over an hour to get from one room to another, simply because he had so many rituals that he had to go through. He would finally get to the next room, but sweaty and exhausted. Can you imagine living your life that way? I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult that would be, and when I think about how his mother must have felt, well… there are no words.
I think this book hit close to him with the topic of disbelieving doctors since my mother went through a similar experience a few years ago. There is a tendency to believe that doctors are these all-knowing entities, but really, they’re human too and they can’t be expected to know everything. Sammy’s story made me think of the saying, “When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.” First off, that’s a pretty Euro-centric saying. But that’s neither here nor there. In Sammy’s case, the doctors were mostly thinking “horses” and I don’t blame them. But when “horses” consistently failed, they should have moved onto “zebras.” Does that make sense? I guess my point is that while horses are more common where we are, that doesn’t mean that zebras don’t exist. You should never deny the existence of zebras because you never know when one will start galloping towards you.
And that’s the end of my tangent…
Maloney’s son Sammy inexplicably developed OCD-like symptoms after a move. At first she thought he was acting strange under stress due to the move and divorce from Sammy’s father, but the symptoms continued to worsen and the medications didn’t help. Sammy’s compulsions grew worse and worse to the point where he was uncontrollable, it took him forever to do anything, and he could not attend school. As a single mother, Maloney’s hand were full caring for Sammy and desperately trying to get to the bottom of his illness, and meanwhile, she had a son away at boarding school and a younger son at home.
Sammy saw many doctors, but it wasn’t until he met with one doctor in particular that they came across a possible diagnosis: PANDAS, or Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. Apparently, Sammy had asymptomatic strep, and this was causing his OCD and Tourette’s-like behaviors. Finally, with the support of this and another new doctor, Sammy was finally put on a course of medications that seemed to help. Of course, there were more ups and downs, but by controlling the strep with antibiotics, Sammy was able to return to his previous self. The book ends off with him attending the same boarding school where his older brother went, and getting straight As.
What was so disturbing about this book was that few of the doctors really understood what was going on with Sammy, and since there wasn’t a lot of literature out there on PANDAS, they simply didn’t look into it as a possible cause. It was also horrifying to read about how Sammy was so destroyed by his compulsions. Maloney describes instances where it took him over an hour to get from one room to another, simply because he had so many rituals that he had to go through. He would finally get to the next room, but sweaty and exhausted. Can you imagine living your life that way? I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult that would be, and when I think about how his mother must have felt, well… there are no words.
I think this book hit close to him with the topic of disbelieving doctors since my mother went through a similar experience a few years ago. There is a tendency to believe that doctors are these all-knowing entities, but really, they’re human too and they can’t be expected to know everything. Sammy’s story made me think of the saying, “When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.” First off, that’s a pretty Euro-centric saying. But that’s neither here nor there. In Sammy’s case, the doctors were mostly thinking “horses” and I don’t blame them. But when “horses” consistently failed, they should have moved onto “zebras.” Does that make sense? I guess my point is that while horses are more common where we are, that doesn’t mean that zebras don’t exist. You should never deny the existence of zebras because you never know when one will start galloping towards you.
And that’s the end of my tangent…
September 29, 2009
Saving Sammy presents an intriguing story, from the very wording of the title ("Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD") to the very difficulties and struggles faced by one unrelenting mother.
Beth Allison Maloney, shares the interesting story of how her son (Sammy) becomes progressively obsessive-compulsive, feral, and distraught, and the agonizing three year journey they take to return to normalcy.
It seems to be every parents worst nightmare -- their extroverted, smart, academically inclined child suddenly and drastically becomes unable to function normally, caught up in a series of repetitive patterns and jailed by a set of nonsensical rules.
Well-written, in easy terms (a lot of medical terms and diagnoses are thrown around, but are put into simple language), the story's engrossing (I finished it in a day and a half), interesting and explores the problems those with OCD face.
Maloney stresses something so easily forgotten: doctors may be the one's with degrees and years of schooling, but they sure as hell don't know everything.
Had she accepted the diagnoses of various doctors she first saw (and not taken advantage of the limitless powers of Google) then she and her son would still be struggling. She was scoffed at and ignored by members of the medical community. She was told she was wrong; yet her son's improvement later went on to show that she was right.
Similar to the story told in Rex A Mother, Her Autistic Child, and the Music that Transformed Their Lives, it highlights the unfathomable faith and struggle of a mother, who needs answers.
Personally, I enjoyed the book. The story itself (and my experiences in a similar situation) shows that sometimes to get answers, we just need to keep asking questions.
Beth Allison Maloney, shares the interesting story of how her son (Sammy) becomes progressively obsessive-compulsive, feral, and distraught, and the agonizing three year journey they take to return to normalcy.
It seems to be every parents worst nightmare -- their extroverted, smart, academically inclined child suddenly and drastically becomes unable to function normally, caught up in a series of repetitive patterns and jailed by a set of nonsensical rules.
Well-written, in easy terms (a lot of medical terms and diagnoses are thrown around, but are put into simple language), the story's engrossing (I finished it in a day and a half), interesting and explores the problems those with OCD face.
Maloney stresses something so easily forgotten: doctors may be the one's with degrees and years of schooling, but they sure as hell don't know everything.
Had she accepted the diagnoses of various doctors she first saw (and not taken advantage of the limitless powers of Google) then she and her son would still be struggling. She was scoffed at and ignored by members of the medical community. She was told she was wrong; yet her son's improvement later went on to show that she was right.
Similar to the story told in Rex A Mother, Her Autistic Child, and the Music that Transformed Their Lives, it highlights the unfathomable faith and struggle of a mother, who needs answers.
Personally, I enjoyed the book. The story itself (and my experiences in a similar situation) shows that sometimes to get answers, we just need to keep asking questions.
October 26, 2016
This is a memoir of a child's sudden descent into mental illness and his mother's frantic attempts to cope with the symptoms/behaviors while being the child's advocate, finding appropriate diagnosis and treatment (and incidentally trying to support herself and her three sons as a single mom and be able to still give some energy to the other two boys).
The book is powerfully written and reads almost like a novel. It grabs you through its absolute specificity and clarity of observation. This mom recorded Sammy's behavior hour by hour for months and months, so must have had all those records to draw from when writing the book.
She did seem to get so obsessed with her son's illness that she became at times weirdly enabling--e.g. dropping whatever she was doing to go up and down stairs to bring him whatever he wanted to eat at any time of the day or night, over and over, even at a time when he was gaining excessive amounts of weight. Allowing the whole family to be ruled by his symptoms. I felt very bad for the other two boys who clearly got the short end of the stick, while she was devoting herself entirely to her sick son and his symptoms and her struggle to find appropriate care for him.
I don't know what to think about the connections she draws between infectious diseases and various mental illnesses, in Sammy's case between strep and OCD/Tourette's. Sammy's repeated experiences of on antibiotics-doing well/ off antibiotics-falling apart again seem quite convincing and the author cites a lot of scientific research. I was a psychologist until I retired and I never heard this theory. But no one believed the bacterial theory of stomach ulcers at first and that seems pretty well established now.
I have my own story of arrogant physicians who refuse to listen to what their patients are telling them (contributed largely to my mother's death), so all that rings true.
The book is powerfully written and reads almost like a novel. It grabs you through its absolute specificity and clarity of observation. This mom recorded Sammy's behavior hour by hour for months and months, so must have had all those records to draw from when writing the book.
She did seem to get so obsessed with her son's illness that she became at times weirdly enabling--e.g. dropping whatever she was doing to go up and down stairs to bring him whatever he wanted to eat at any time of the day or night, over and over, even at a time when he was gaining excessive amounts of weight. Allowing the whole family to be ruled by his symptoms. I felt very bad for the other two boys who clearly got the short end of the stick, while she was devoting herself entirely to her sick son and his symptoms and her struggle to find appropriate care for him.
I don't know what to think about the connections she draws between infectious diseases and various mental illnesses, in Sammy's case between strep and OCD/Tourette's. Sammy's repeated experiences of on antibiotics-doing well/ off antibiotics-falling apart again seem quite convincing and the author cites a lot of scientific research. I was a psychologist until I retired and I never heard this theory. But no one believed the bacterial theory of stomach ulcers at first and that seems pretty well established now.
I have my own story of arrogant physicians who refuse to listen to what their patients are telling them (contributed largely to my mother's death), so all that rings true.
July 9, 2012
This book caught me off guard with its sheer brilliance!
I purchased this audio book with the hopes of getting a psychological inside look at OCD through the case study of a patient called Sammy, instead I got the amazing emotional journey that his family, specially his mother, went through. I shouldn't have expected any less since it is written by Sammy's mom herself, and I thank her for sharing her personal experience of helping a family member, her son none the less, go through this. The book does dip into medical procedures and analogy from time to time and may require some research to fully understand, but it was kept to a limit in a way that wouldn't bother the regular reader who just wants to hear the story. This book is also an eye opener to many things and a proof that perseverance pays off.
The narrator, Tavia Gilbert, did an amazing job narrating this story! she was able to express the emotions and turmoil of each character in this book. I would definitely look for narrations by her for any upcoming audio books I may consider.
The only negative point that I found on this book is the lack of explanation of some medical symptoms or disorders, such as Tourette or Strep. I had to look them up to fully understand them and rebuild the picture.
A great book I would recommend to just about anyone because it's an inspiring true story, and who doesn't love a good true story?
I purchased this audio book with the hopes of getting a psychological inside look at OCD through the case study of a patient called Sammy, instead I got the amazing emotional journey that his family, specially his mother, went through. I shouldn't have expected any less since it is written by Sammy's mom herself, and I thank her for sharing her personal experience of helping a family member, her son none the less, go through this. The book does dip into medical procedures and analogy from time to time and may require some research to fully understand, but it was kept to a limit in a way that wouldn't bother the regular reader who just wants to hear the story. This book is also an eye opener to many things and a proof that perseverance pays off.
The narrator, Tavia Gilbert, did an amazing job narrating this story! she was able to express the emotions and turmoil of each character in this book. I would definitely look for narrations by her for any upcoming audio books I may consider.
The only negative point that I found on this book is the lack of explanation of some medical symptoms or disorders, such as Tourette or Strep. I had to look them up to fully understand them and rebuild the picture.
A great book I would recommend to just about anyone because it's an inspiring true story, and who doesn't love a good true story?
August 4, 2023
This is an amazing book that was hard to put down. It is about a mother who fights valiantly to get help for her son who has been diagnosed with OCD. The magnitude of how his disorder disrupted their lives goes beyond imagination.
It drove home to me how very serious a strep infection can be. I remember my father telling me of a childhood friend dying from a strep infection. Of course, he was born in 1911, so he grew up before the age of antibiotics. In this time, we take it very lightly because a series of antibiotics can easily cure the infection. However, a strep infection can go undiagnosed and has been found to be related to other autoimmune diseases, such as guttate psoriasis. I know, because I have guttate psoriasis.
This book is valuable because it builds awareness for the connection between strep and OCD. At the very end of the book, the author tells of another mother whose child was recently diagnosed with PDD, a disorder in the autism spectrum. When the mother tells her that her child had Lyme disease at sixteen months, the author encourages the mother to have her child's blood checked to make sure the Lyme disease had been fully treated. It turns out that the child did have an active Lyme infection! The author encourages all of us to ask questions and before putting a child on psychiatric medication to rule out a bacteria or virus infection. There are, of course, Naysayers, but how difficult is it to get a blood test to rule that out first!
It drove home to me how very serious a strep infection can be. I remember my father telling me of a childhood friend dying from a strep infection. Of course, he was born in 1911, so he grew up before the age of antibiotics. In this time, we take it very lightly because a series of antibiotics can easily cure the infection. However, a strep infection can go undiagnosed and has been found to be related to other autoimmune diseases, such as guttate psoriasis. I know, because I have guttate psoriasis.
This book is valuable because it builds awareness for the connection between strep and OCD. At the very end of the book, the author tells of another mother whose child was recently diagnosed with PDD, a disorder in the autism spectrum. When the mother tells her that her child had Lyme disease at sixteen months, the author encourages the mother to have her child's blood checked to make sure the Lyme disease had been fully treated. It turns out that the child did have an active Lyme infection! The author encourages all of us to ask questions and before putting a child on psychiatric medication to rule out a bacteria or virus infection. There are, of course, Naysayers, but how difficult is it to get a blood test to rule that out first!
September 16, 2009
Saving Sammy tells the touching story of a bright, active twelve year old boy, a middle child, who one day suddenly begins to exhibit strange behaviors.
Beth Maloney, a single mom of three boys, tells the story of what happened to her son Sammy. Almost overnight Sammy went from what seemed like a normal boy to one with strange rituals: he refused to bathe, had to have five different types of drinks at mealtime, refused to touch doornobs and faucets, had issues with stairs, walked along walls, and was prone to fits of rage.
Initially thought to be caused by extreme anxiety, the family had recently moved to the coast of Maine, he was seen by therapists, then several doctors. He was prescribed various drugs in increasing doses, but nothing seemed to help. One doctor diagnosed him as having (OCD) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and later Tourette's Syndrome.
His mother Beth, unwilling to accept a diagnosis of mental illness, persists in getting to the root of her son's illness, and after two years of anguish for mother, son and siblings, she finds two physicians who helped cure Sammy. Five years later, he is symptom free.
This book is a must read for parents of a child diagnosed with OCD. There may be a curable medical reason your child is displaying strange behaviors.
RECOMMENDED.
Beth Maloney, a single mom of three boys, tells the story of what happened to her son Sammy. Almost overnight Sammy went from what seemed like a normal boy to one with strange rituals: he refused to bathe, had to have five different types of drinks at mealtime, refused to touch doornobs and faucets, had issues with stairs, walked along walls, and was prone to fits of rage.
Initially thought to be caused by extreme anxiety, the family had recently moved to the coast of Maine, he was seen by therapists, then several doctors. He was prescribed various drugs in increasing doses, but nothing seemed to help. One doctor diagnosed him as having (OCD) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and later Tourette's Syndrome.
His mother Beth, unwilling to accept a diagnosis of mental illness, persists in getting to the root of her son's illness, and after two years of anguish for mother, son and siblings, she finds two physicians who helped cure Sammy. Five years later, he is symptom free.
This book is a must read for parents of a child diagnosed with OCD. There may be a curable medical reason your child is displaying strange behaviors.
RECOMMENDED.
November 25, 2012
This book is about the determination and fortitude of Beth Alison Maloney, the mother of an OCD afflicted child to get back to Kayaking.
Sorry , Couldn't help.My girlfriend has OCD and I know it's no laughing matter.
The book doesn't offer much insight if one were to read this with the intention of knowing what goes on inside the head of an OCD patient.
But what this book does accomplish brilliantly is to showcase the resilience of Beth to fight and win her son's war with OCD, the kind of fight that only a Mother could display.
Beth takes us through the agonizing behaviors and compulsions that Sammy is forced into with the onset of the disorder and the emotional roller coaster the family goes through , that pretty much characterizes the disease itself.
Beth's uncompromising and unrelenting attitude in uncovering the cause of OCD in her son , even when her findings deviate and challenge what is accepted in the stubborn medical community she encounters , is highly commendable.
Also the co-operation and support she receives from Sammy's school is laudable.
This book is for people who have someone in their life who is affected
with OCD or any other disorders of the mind for that matter.
Sorry , Couldn't help.My girlfriend has OCD and I know it's no laughing matter.
The book doesn't offer much insight if one were to read this with the intention of knowing what goes on inside the head of an OCD patient.
But what this book does accomplish brilliantly is to showcase the resilience of Beth to fight and win her son's war with OCD, the kind of fight that only a Mother could display.
Beth takes us through the agonizing behaviors and compulsions that Sammy is forced into with the onset of the disorder and the emotional roller coaster the family goes through , that pretty much characterizes the disease itself.
Beth's uncompromising and unrelenting attitude in uncovering the cause of OCD in her son , even when her findings deviate and challenge what is accepted in the stubborn medical community she encounters , is highly commendable.
Also the co-operation and support she receives from Sammy's school is laudable.
This book is for people who have someone in their life who is affected
with OCD or any other disorders of the mind for that matter.
December 31, 2017
I met a delightful woman on a Southwest flight recently and we clicked almost instantly. Turns out she was in the foster care system in Maine as a child and she now works as a foster care advocate. The author of this book was her guardian ad litem so I felt I had to read this (and the subject is so compelling). I thought the book was extremely "tight"; told the story of her son so very well and so succinctly. I cannot imagine how she got through this ordeal and I am so impressed by her and her sons' strength. I think this is a cautionary tale for anyone attempting to navigate our healthcare system. You MUST be your own advocate and researcher. You MUST understand that the docs and nurses are playing the percentages and in most cases if you present with something outside the norm that they will most likely NOT treat the problem effectively or correctly. The situation is even worse if your problem is a mental illness (or what looks like a mental illness). I am not trying to bash anyone; I just hope people are aware of the reality of healthcare. I think this book does an excellent job of telling people to question, question, question.
December 30, 2018
An interesting story about how a boy with OCD actually had a severe strep infection that affected his brain. Of course, this is an unusual reason for OCD and many doctors are not on-board with this. The author (his mother) had to do lots of research and advocate for her son to get results. Fortunately, she had experience as an attorney and a court advocate for children. Her story is intense, her son's OCD was way over the top and for a long while there were no answers. The book was published in 2009 and it took her a while to write it, so I assuming most of what happened occurred in the early 2000s. I wonder if infection-caused OCD is better understood now? She makes a good case for it making sense - as stomach ulcers, long attributed to stress, are often caused by a bacterial infection. It appears infections can cause ailments that aren't always obviously infection based. Sammy's success in overcoming his illness is really due to his mother's ferocious and unwavering approach in fighting for her child. It took over three years of being on antibiotics for him to completely heal. I hope her fight helps in healing others.
April 19, 2012
I finished this book in less than 24 hours. For those of you that know me, that's quite an accomplishment. This book is the amazing TRUE story of a mother and her 12 year old boy, who develops severe, debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It takes almost a year to figure out that an underlying strep infection is causing the OCD (he'd never "had" strep throat). Along the way the mom encounters many frustrating doctors, but also some doctors who are angels in disguise. Finally, her son gets the medication and treatment he needs to get well. Throughout the book the mother manages to stay thankful for the many blessings in her life and hopeful that they will beat this. So while the book is heartbreaking at times because of the agony you feel for the boy and his mom (and his brothers!), it's an important book because it provides answers and hope for the many people that are suffering with OCD and Tourette's. And unlike many books like this, Saving Sammy is a well-written story that captivates you from the beginning and satisfies you in the end.
August 19, 2011
This is a memoir written by a mother who's world is turned upside down when her 12 year old son suddenly develops some very strange symptoms. It starts with a few "quirks" such as having to touch everything he passes, but quickly develops into something much more serious. Every moment of his life is taken up by strange, obsessive behaviors and compulsions. Doctors say he has OCD, but how did this come on so suddenly? A friend mentions to Beth that an acquaintance developed similar symptoms and it was linked to a strep infection. Sammy is tested, and he does in fact test positive for strep! Relatively new studies have indeed linked high strep levels to OCD. However, Beth finds out that there are very few doctors who will accept this. This book is about her struggle to find a cure for her son's terrible illness, and for support and acceptance from the medical community. It is horrifying what they went through, but Beth's fierce determination is inspiring.
July 13, 2016
This book was a life-saver for me. My ten-year-old son also developed OCD in response to the trauma of his grandfather dying and in my desperate search for reading material on the subject (besides all the excellent how-do, ERP books) I came across Beth's book. I felt like I could finally breathe when I read this book. It was so reassuring to read about another mother going through so much of what our family experienced. The only difference was, Sammy had PANDAS and my son didn't. As I said, his OCD was brought on my trauma. I also wrote a book about our experience and it's coming out in Sept. 2016. It's called Stolen Child: A Mother's Journey to Rescue Her Son from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I hope it can be of help to other parents out there struggling to find answers and treatment. Our story, like Beth's, had a happy ending. OCD is treatable!
Laurie Gough
Laurie Gough
September 10, 2013
This book tells the story of Sammy and how his mother perservered in finding answers when the doctors wouldn't listen. Not only is it important in the aspect of increasing awareness that OCD symptoms can be caused by strep, it also illustrates the importance of not just accepting a medical professional's opinion as sacrosanct. As this story illustrates, it is okay to question the opinion of your doctor and to get second, third and fourth opinions and to do your own research and draw informed conclusions. Not only is it okay to do that, but sometimes it can save your life. This is an important book to increase awareness of how what some perceive as a simple infection can affect a person's life.
December 27, 2012
For perhaps the first third of this book, I was ready to give it four stars. It's the story of a mother's (the author) determined attempts to get at the root of her son's sudden onsent of OCD. The illness completely debilitated the child as well as the functioning of the family. I admire the mother and her tenacity, but the many descriptions of Sammy's behaviors got tiresome. I also had many questions about how the other two boys in the family were impacted, but that was barely described. Near the end, I was hoping that Sammy would acknowledge his mother's efforts. He did in a passing sort of way. I'm not sure whether the author chose to minimize any praise he might have had, or whether Sammy being a teenager affected his ability to thank his mother.
February 19, 2014
Excellent. I read this in two days, which is fast for me. My younger brother is severely autistic, and while this book focused more on OCD and Tourette's like symptoms, it opens up the idea that mental illness can be caused by bacteria or infection. I was also unfamiliar with PANDAS until I read this. I applaud the author for for her persistence in never giving up until she found answers to help her son. It also shed some light as to the personal struggle and feelings my mom must have gone through/continues to go through the past 28 years with my brother and his onset of autism at age 3. I can see how this book can give hope to many families. I recommend this to anyone who works with or knows of a child with a mental disability.
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