My Time to Stand: A Memoir

by miss.gravidia

Forced to use a wheelchair in public and endure a lifetime of faux illness, fraud, and exploitation, Gypsy was subjected not only to her mother's medical, physical, and emotional abuse, but deprived of childhood milestones. Prevented from attending school or socializing, Gypsy's formative years were defined by pain and isolation.

1. Author Notes

Author's Note

Everyone considers my story to be "true crime." But this book is a work of memory—my memory—and therefore is a memoir and not an outsider's investigation of my life or crime. The feelings and emotions evoked are accurate. While some of my childhood memories have faded, these particular events remain vivid. To fill in many gaps, I've relied on other people's answers to my questions. The typical disclaimers apply. Some names and other details have been changed or omitted to protect the privacy of individuals. Any resemblance between a fictionalized name and a real person is strictly coincidental. Where there are passages containing dialogue, quotation marks are used when I'm reasonably sure that the speaker's words are close to verbatim or that the speaker's actual meaning is accurately reflected. The story I share here is true to my memory, and these memories have shaped my perceptions, many of which are also shared here. This is how it was for me, what I experienced or believe I experienced.