High Peak woman speaks out after being abused throughout her childhood by her own mother

Madison Alexander Day was the victim of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSP).

Now she has written a book about her mother who abused her.

Despite It All shines a light on what it was like to live with a mother like that and what Madison has endured over the years.

She said: “It is assumed that mothers are biologically hard-wired to protect their children from harm.

“As a small child, even I knew that.

“But my mother was different from other mothers.

“She was a different breed.

“And it wasn’t until I was well into my twenties that I realised what kind of breed.”

Munchausen by proxy syndrome, or what is more recently known in the UK as Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII), is a disorder where a parent/carer, usually the mother/female practitioner, creates symptoms of illness in their children/patients in order to gain attention.

It is estimated by experts that about 500 new cases of FII go undetected in Britain each year.

And yet, says Madison, this is one of, if not the deadliest form of, child abuse, with fatality rates estimated to be between six and nine per cent in published reports.

She said: “She inflicted injuries on me and my brother and fabricated stories to get praise from others.

“You never knew which version of her you would get from one day to the next.

“Childhood trauma stays in your bones, it never really leaves you, it's always there.

“I read a lot as a child and I think I read myself out of living with trauma, I escaped to different places and that helped so much.

“I know there are many people up and down the country who have been through trauma who may not be able to live a full life like I am doing.

“My mother took away my childhood, she is not going to take away my adulthood.”

Madison’s mother took her own life when Madison was 17.

“I didn’t grieve for her,” she said.

“I hated her as a child and as an adult I can see that her behaviour was abusive and she was not mentally well.”

Aged seven after the family moved away from family to the east coast Madison ran an errand for her mother - picking up a packet of cigarettes from the shop.

On the way back home Madison was hit by a red car, she was well enough to get up but her hip hurt and was taken home by a passing police officer.

When her mother opened the door she was full of concern for her young daughter however as soon as the police officer left she changed and began shouting and hitting her.

She recalls how her mother made her bring a brick in from outside, stand with her hands behind her back and shut her eyes as her mother hit her with the brick.

The police were called and told the story of a young man who had attacked and sexually assaulted her.

Madison remembers wondering why the police could not tell it was all made up and that it was her mother who had hit her.

As the days changed into years Madison says her mother was rarely sober and her mood swings would terrify her.

It was not Madison who suffered at the hands of her mother but also her younger brother Robbie too.

In her book she explains a time when Robbie is reported as missing while on a day trip at the beach.

Their mother says she swam out to save him but later Robbie says he had not drifted out and he was not saved by her just that he remembers her pushing him out to sea and shouting at him to be quiet.

Madison’s book takes readers on a truly harrowing tale of what life with an abusive parent is like.

She uses her survivalist humour to lighten the mood and break the tension at the most crucial moments.

Her book is also one of hope and showing the positives after an abusive start in life.

She said: “I worked hard to achieve my career, juggled four children, a failing marriage, a full-time job working nights while breastfeeding, night school, college, and university.

“I graduated at age 30 with a First Class Honours and the David Boulton Memorial Prize for Exceptional Research.

“This enabled a full-time post as a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the well-established Manchester University.”

Madison, from Glossop, has now remarried and has two grandchildren as well.

She says she wants her book to be a teaching tool for anyone who comes into contact with children.

“I was failed time and time again by the schools, by doctors and the system because no one knew what to look out for and so my abuse continued.

“This is a vital part of safeguarding and one people should be familiar with.”She says healthcare officials are often ‘fearful of raising their head above the parapet’.

She added: “For every victim, past and present, I have written this book wholeheartedly for you.

“I have written this book to raise my head above the parapet.”

Despite It All is out now.