Nina Blom: ‘My Mother Deliberately Made Me Ill for Years’

Nina Blom, who grew up in the Netherlands during the 1970s and 1980s, was not just an ordinary child. She loved music and dancing. Her childhood included joyful moments, like playing with her sister in the garden. However, those happy times were few and far between. She was frequently not allowed to go outside. From the age of eight, her mother began convincing her that she was seriously ill. Nina was repeatedly taken to various hospitals for tests and treatments. Over a few years, she was hospitalized 15 times across six different hospitals. Gradually, her mother had her start using a wheelchair, claiming she suffered from a debilitating muscular disease and was dying.

For years, numerous health professionals examined Nina but none could determine the true cause of her condition. Finally, an insightful doctor connected various events in Nina’s life and uncovered the real condition behind her illness: her own mother’s abuse. This is a form of child abuse known as ‘Pediatric Condition Falsification,’ where a caregiver exaggerates the child’s illness, fabricates false stories, or deliberately induces illness in the child.

Nina’s first hospital admission occurred at age eight due to stomach pain and weight loss. In the hospital, she was given apple juice and soup, and her health began to improve remarkably. “Doctors were saying, ‘Nina is well… she can go home,'” she recalls. Yet her mother insisted on repeated hospital visits and coerced Nina into complaining of stomach pain in front of doctors, even though she had no real symptoms.

Nina endured many painful tests, including bone marrow biopsies. Despite this, doctors never identified any disease. Straps binding her arms and legs were removed. Nina told the doctors 18 times, “I am not sick.” However, her parents never accepted this and even hired private detectives to monitor her. Nina considered pressing charges against her parents but ultimately chose not to. Years later, both her parents passed away. “What happened to me was a crime,” Nina states. “It is extremely serious abuse against children, and I was fortunate to survive.” She is now deeply grateful for her current good health and improved life.