My experience at the children's hospital is limited to research, I am not a clinician and my research interest is primarily limited to children suffering from cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell and other single-gene disorders as my primary academic interest is protein folding and its interests in gene therapy.

But I have a "senpai" who worked at the Toronto children's hospital as a nurse...and its tough work. Not for the faint hearted. Child illness, child terminal cancer...them asking you confusedly why they can't go outside and why they have to die. It's spiritually draining work, but rewarding.

Within there she told me there was truly remarkable amount of children who were sent there because of mothers with Munchausen by Proxy. In particular she told me of a particular case of a woman who purposeful got pregnant, drank and smoke to injure her fetus and give them fetal alcohol syndrome so she would have a retarded by to love and take care of.

The worst part is, she cried and lied and said she didn't know when she lost custody and was sentence to go to jail for a very long time when her obvious shtick was found out. The tears were "genuine", but she lied about everything. People with Munchausen by Proxy are usually pathological liars, nothing makes them more paranoid than being found out. They are delusional in thinking their horrible horrible actions are somehow justified. But I know deep down she liked it. Because apparently when the judge asked her why she did it...she couldn't help but randomly smile then cry. Disgusting creature.

The child was born 2 weeks prematurely with acute fetal alcohol syndrome and despite the best most cutting edge medical care and doctors Canada has to offer died from severe complications at the age of 6.