Medical Kidnap Files #1-3: Mito, EDS, Proxy by P D Workman (Young Adult, 9/10E)

 February 2017, 692 pages, Ebook, Personal Copy

Book summaries

Mito 

Gabriel has dealt with mysterious medical issues his whole life. Just when he finally thought that they had all of the answers and he was on the road to good health, he is apprehended by DFS on the grounds of medical neglect.

At first, he thought that he would be back home in a few days, once the misunderstanding was cleared up. But when Renata tells Gabriel her crazy conspiracy theories, Gabriel feels the first pangs of doubt. Is there really a conspiracy? Will he ever be able to get well and go back to his mother, or is he doomed to be another guinea pig for Doctor De Klerk?

 

EDS

With a long string of unbelievable stories to explain her frequent injuries, Social Services sees Katt is the stereotypical abused child. When she is admitted to hospital with yet another broken bone, they do the only logical thing to protect her, removing Katt from her mother’s custody.

But Katt and her mother know that something is wrong, and it has nothing to do with abuse, and the longer Katt stays in foster care, the worse her health gets. Can they get the answers they need before it is too late? Can they get the answers and get Katt back home?

Proxy

 Fourteen year old Seth Wilcox has been admitted to the hospital forty-eight times, according to his mother’s latest social media posts, when Social Services steps in and takes Seth into care, believing his mother suffers from Munchausen by Proxy and Seth is not safe in her care.

Gabriel Tate is now a veteran in dealing with medical kidnap and reuniting children with their families. He knows Seth and his mom, Leva, a tireless mitochondrial disorder advocate. He knows he needs to get Seth back to Leva as soon as he can.

With the authorities hot on their trails, Gabriel and Renata face increasingly difficult challenges. Can they stay one step ahead of the authorities? Can they finally get Seth somewhere he will be safe?

Nayu's thoughts 

I bought this trilogy because it's the only fiction book I've seen that involves my own condition, which falls under the umbrella term of mitochondrial disease. Mine is further defined but I was able to relate a bit to what happens in all the stories, although not medical kidnap which I'm fascinated by as I know it happens. I've never come across books including my condition: I see a lot about cancer, or diabetes, so I had to read these to see what they were like. 

 I understood fully virtually all Gabriel went through as he tried to get back to his mother. I did think he was a bit nuts leaving a foster home that was mostly safe for him, there was an element I feared could make him sicker, so was partially pleased when he planned his escape, something that would affect the protagonists in the other two books. 

I don't have EDS, but I do have a few similar symptoms so I felt I could understand what Katt is going through a little. I felt so sorry that people thought her mum was to blame for her repeatedly broken bones, which is an understandable conclusion but, as Katt's story proves, the most obvious reason for something isn't always the correct one. It is a little scary how easy it is for adults to separate a minor from their parent if they feel they are being abused, and the lengths they can go to control what happens to that minor medically, even if the patients object to it. 

Proxy brought events in the trilogy to a close. Being a culmination of the series' events despite being with a new protagonist, there's definitely the most at stake in Proxy for all concerned, including Seth and  Gabriel. What Gabriel does is a bit dangerous, but brave considering the strong arguments the authorities have over those he is trying to protect. I definitely recommend these to read as an insight to people with mitochondrial conditions, the information inside them is accurate and definitely provides much to think about. I hope there will be some more books in the series!

Find out more on P D's website. 

Suggested read

A medical themed read which is a bit horrific but extremely well written with thrilling parts is Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield (Young Adult, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)