Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD by Beth Alison Maloney

Nov 25, 2012 Adarsh rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 tha...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Shana rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more 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…(less)

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Aug 15, 2012 Sheila DeChantal rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 silverw...more 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. (less)

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Apr 18, 2012 Elaine rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...more

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Nov 17, 2009 Lara rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 surp...more 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. (less)

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Sep 16, 2009 Barb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, memoirs, read-in-2009, vine

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...more

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Sep 11, 2009 Yukari rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 "PANDAS�Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections" before. I have googled and found very few...more

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May 09, 2013 Brian Burt rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 lit...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Janelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

"[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...more

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Sep 29, 2009 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-2010-school-year, memoir

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 s...more

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Sep 16, 2009 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Moayad Taibah rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...more

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Nov 23, 2009 Ti rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-sent-to-me

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 you...more 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.

(less)

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Feb 27, 2013 Cindy Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 p...more 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.(less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, 2012-reads

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 t...more

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Sep 09, 2009 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 o...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a very quick read, and it's a very sweet true story of a mother's fight for her son, diagnosed with OCD. The pages and pages of painful description of her son's disorder are fascinating and simultaneously depressing. However, I can't really highly recommend this book for two reasons: (1) I know far too many mothers who have children with diagnosable disorders who won't find a miracle cure for their child, as this mother found. I worry how this book would be perceived by these mothers, wh...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Dee Dee Walker rated it 5 of 5 stars

I will say that I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I knew it would be an inspiring story from the title but it was more than that. I was afraid it would be so depressing that I wouldn't be able to read it. I was wrong. You defiantly feel for this family but it is told in such a way that you are mesmerized. It's fascinating to see what this child(& mom) go through and to find out the causes the sons abnormal behavior. I have to say that it blew my mind! Very inspiring & well writt...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Sila added it

I found this book amazingly informative and eye-opening to the challenges that families with mentally ill kids have to handle. I haven't known anybody with OCD, but this book gave me a peek into what goes on in these people's lives and how hard it can be to find the right doctors.

Sammy is a very lucky child to have such an amazing mother who is intelligent and wouldn't give up. I couldn't hold my tears much throughout the book, but the best was when I finally got to Sammy's recovery, I was shedd...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Kary rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 i...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Kelli Robinson rated it 4 of 5 stars

My experience with OCD is zero. In fact, my experience with mental illness is extremely limited. With this open mind, I delved into Ms. Maloney's harrowing account of her son's sudden onset of OCD and her equally harrowing navigation of the healthcare system as she searched desperately for answers. Although there is much belly-aching by medical professionals over the number of patients who deem themselves healthcare experts after an afternoon on the Internet, this book proves the immense value o...more

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Dec 29, 2009 Paula Gallagher rated it 4 of 5 stars

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.

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Sep 02, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very interesting book about OCD - obsessive compulsive disorder - and P.A.N.D.A.S., which shows how strep can cause OCD. I applaud the author for sharing her story and her son for allowing it to be shared. I worry that this might turn out to be like the autism - immunization link, but there seems to be research supporting the P.A.N.D.A.S. diagnosis. A very good read for anyone who works with children suffering from OCD or Tourette's.

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Jul 28, 2010 Kayla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Absolutely amazing. The type of book that leaves you wondering after you put it down.
A mother struggles to get her son back after sudden onset OCD that is later linked with the strep virus. As the reader, you not only get to feel the frustration as the family and the love of a mother, but you get to learn about OCD, Tourette Syndrome, and PANDAS. So enlightening. I fear starting a book now would be a problem because it will only pale in comparison...

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Mar 14, 2013 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

WOW. This is one of the most heartbreaking and heartwarming books I've read in a long time. No book has brought me to tears this often in as long as I can remember. A true story of a boy who, at 12, suddenly exhibits extreme OCD symptoms and his mother's incredibly dogged journey to understand why it happened and find a cure. Any mother should find this book unbelievably compelling. Read it!

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Aug 16, 2012 Alisha Fleming rated it 5 of 5 stars

Saving Sammy is an amazing story of a child who developed sudden onset OCD. The book discusses the connection to sudden onset OCD and a group of disorders now known as PANDAS which has been linked to Tourette's Disorder and some cases of Autism.

The book is nonfiction but is as engaging as any fictional story line. A great read that will open your mind to the potential causes of some mental disorders.

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Nov 20, 2009 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

A true story written by a mom whose son is diagnosed with OCD. A must read for any parent whose child has been diagnosed with a mental health issue. Beth Alison Maloney lets the reader experience her family's struggles advocating for her son and navigating the mental health system. A glimpse into how such a diagnosis can impact a family and each of its members.

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Oct 05, 2012 Marcie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book extremely quickly (2 sittings) which is always a good sign. I happen to know a member of the family (Sammy's brother) in real life so that definitely sparked additional interest for me. But even outside of that, it was an interesting real life story which is a great reminder of the importance of parent involvement in medical situations.

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May 05, 2010 Polly added it

Story about a twelve year old boy with sudden onset OCD and also Tourettes and the mother's journey to solve his problems. He ends up being helped with Augmentin and theory is it is PANDAS, due to strep. Also good video on today show with a totally cured Sammy at Carnegie Mellon University and clips of him in the worst of his OCD

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Jul 01, 2012 Sandy D. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: disabilities, memoirs, new-england, non-fiction, parenting, united-states

This is a fascinating memoir about a boy with PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep Infections). Maloney is a gifted writer, and her straightforward descriptions of her life as a single mother in Maine - and her son's grueling couple of years fighting the compulsions and tics that took over his life - were pretty amazing.

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