'My mama deliberately make me sick for years until one doctor catch her'

Growing up for di Netherlands during di 1970s and 1980s, Nina Blom bin dey like a typical pikin. She love music, singing and dancing, and get happy memories of playing wit her sister for di attic of dia family home.

But dose moments of happiness dey rare.

Occasionally, she go dey allowed to go out of her house, and from di age of eight, her mama convince her say she dey seriously ill. She kon begin carry her go hospitals for tests and treatments - 15 times in six hospitals in just a few years. Ova time, she make Nina use wheelchair and tell her say she get incurable muscle disease and tell her say she go soon kpai.

Ova di years, many medical professionals examine her, but none fit explain wetin dey wrong. E take one perceptive doctor to put togeda di fragments of Nina story and uncova di true, disturbing cause of her 'illness': her mama.

Paediatric Condition Falsification, also known as Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) or Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, na form of child abuse wia a carer - usually a parent - go exaggerate, lie, make up or deliberately cause illness in a child. Di reasons behind am still no dey fully understood.

Di first hospital admissions

Wen Nina bin dey eight years, she begin suffer from frequent stomach problems and lose plenti weight.

Wen dem come admit her to hospital and give her apple juice and soup, strangely, she begin feel beta.

"Di doctor go say, 'Nina dey fine... she fit go home.'"

But Nina mama go insist make dem return to di hospital - and say she must tell di doctors say her stomach still dey pain her - even though e no dey pain her.

Dis become pattern wey dem repeat ova and ova during di following years.

Once, during one family holiday, Nina complain of soreness afta swimming - and her mama immediately decide say she get muscle disease and need to go - again - to hospital.

Wen Nina no gree, her mama tell her: "No make a fool of me. You dey in pain and you go tell di doctor so."

For Nina, e bin dey deeply confusing.

"I feel guilty becos I bin dey for ward wit children wey get cancer, wey bin really dey sick," she tok. "I dey tink ‘Notin dey wrong wit me.'"

A boy for di bed next to her die while she bin dey di hospital, wey come add to her guilt.

'She bin dey ruthless'

Nina undergo plenti tests, including painful procedures such as bone marrow biopsy. Yet di doctors no find anytin wrong.

Her mama bin always dey dia, and weneva she see Nina dey smile, she go vex and punish her.

Afta one hospital stay wey last four weeks, doctors finally decide to send Nina home. As soon as she arrive, her mama put her for wheelchair, comot her from school and make her spend her days for one bed she set up for dia living room.

She no longer dey see her friends, and her mama comot di music she love to listen to. She find solace in knitting, but her hands come dey tired and sore. Her mama immediately insist say somtin terrible dey wrong and wrap bandages tightly around her arms.

Di bandage bin dey so tight dat her hands and fingers kon dey numb - somtin wey be like say e please her mama: "I no fit tell you how awful e bin dey to see my mama look like say she dey enjoy am."

'You go soon die'

As di years dey pass, her mama story change. She tell Nina: "If I find out say you no dey in pain and you make am up by yoursef, I go hurt you."

Nina kon dey increasingly confused and say she 'lost hersef.

Becos she spend so much time for bed and wit her arms bandaged, she gradually begin lose strength. Eventually doctors send her to one rehabilitation clinic for physiotherapy.

Na dia she learn to waka again and even fall in love wit one boy wey bin also be patient.

For di first time in years, she begin to feel happy.

But wen di clinic allow her to spend weekends for house, her mama immediately take back control, and force her again to wear di painful bandages and ban her from getting out of her bed.

She say she get heart condition and one day tell her: "You go soon die."

"Dat na di first time I truly feel alone," Nina tok, "as if I dey fall into black hole."

'We want euthanasia. You fit help us, doctor?'

Den somtin change.

During anoda hospital admission, Nina meet one new paediatrician, Dr Vrienten.

E tell her say e wan find place wia specialists go fit help to improve movement for her limbs and joints so she fit waka again.

Nina bin dey surprised.

Her mama always dey tell her say she get fatal muscle disease and go die from am. Deep down she get doubts, but no fit ask questions.

Her mama kon vex well-well and, wen dem reach house, she force Nina legs into X-shaped position and strap dem dia wit pillows. She restrict her food, and insert feeding tube through her nose and make her take 20 tablets a day.

During one doctor visit, she ask for Nina to die through euthanasia. Nina, ill and exhausted, agree. "Doctor, I want die," she tell am. "You fit help me?"

Di doctor step back, tok briefly wit her mama, and prescribe 24 hours of morphine.

"We go keep her asleep," e tok.

Di rescue

But Dr Vrienten don put di jigsaw togeda and contact child protection services.

One day, one woman waka enta Nina room and tell her say she dey take her to different hospital. Nina beg her: "No, abeg. Make I die."

She notice say her mama don begin to panic. Two police officers bin dey stand nearby.

Soon, dem lift her onto one stretcher and take her away by ambulance.

Dem remove di bandages from her arms and legs and install video camera for her room.

For two days, she no see any of her parents.

Wen dem finally visit, Nina repeatedly tell dem: "I no dey sick."

She tok am again and again - 18 times in all.

Her mama forget say di camera still dey record and kon dey angry - evidence of wetin don dey happun all dis years.

Rebuilding her life

Afta some time, Nina decide to cut all contact wit her parents. She move to one treatment centre wia she receive physical and psychological therapy, and eventually settle for one new city under different identity.

She don build new life: graduate from art school, find work and fall in love.

Her parents no eva acknowledge say wetin dem do - and at one point, dem bin hire private investigator to find her - na somtin wey cause her big amount of new stress and distress.

She bin consider reporting dem - somtin wey no one bin don do at di time dem rescue her. But in di end she leave am, and a few years later, her parents die, one after di oda.

"Wetin my parents do me na crime," Nina tok, "na severe child abuse, and I barely survive am."

But she dey grateful say now she dey in good place.

"I dey so happy say I survive, and so much dey to live for."

Dis article dey based on one episode of di Outlook programme on di BBC World Service.

Nina memoir na 'You Are a Horrible Child' and her story dey told for di graphic novel 'You're Going to Die', by Margreet de Heer and Nina Blom.