a little girl called Squeaks
a story of hope
by
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“Rock-a-bye baby, in the tree top. When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will come baby, cradle and all.” When my bough broke, I had no one to catch me because my mother was a drug addicted alcoholic. I was born in November of 1961. The first home I ever lived in was a place in Vancouver where the nuns looked after children whose mothers didn’t know if they wanted to keep them or adopt them out. It took two months for my mother to decide, but in the end, I went home with her. Was it for the best? I’ll let you decide. According to the hospital records I saw as an adult, Social Services monitored us regularly. One of my earliest memories is when I was around four or five years old crying, “Mommy, I have an earache,” or scratching myself until I bled from what I learned later on was a yeast infection. “Quit your damned complaining,” Mom hollered as her hand hit the back of my head. My memories from those early years are like broken flashes, or maybe like little pieces of a nightmare you can’t fully remember. They come back to me when I smell something, or hear a certain song. A lot of the music I heard back then I can’t even listen to now without some sad memory attached to it.
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About the Book
“A Little Girl Named Squeaks,” is a must-read for anyone who has struggled with addiction, abuse, or feelings of worthlessness, or for anyone who wants insight into the feelings and challenges of those who struggle so. It takes place in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, BC. And it is a reminder to all of us that life stories like this should never be for children. The saddest part is little has changed for at risk children in fifty years. Hopefully, this book's insights will tug at your hearts so we will become the voice of those children whose voices have been taken away. So far this book has reached over 1,000 plus and each and everyone that has taken the time to read it has come away with something new to think about. It will show the prejudices we hold and the judgments we throw without knowing the full story of the person in front of us. Squeaks, like most at risk children does follow in her mother's footsteps for a time, but eventually with the help of friends, Alcoholics Anonymous and God she is able to crawl out of the life-style she was so entrenched in.
About the Author
Debbie Maddigan was born in Northern British Columbia. She has been married to her husband Shaun for 35 years, has three married children and seven grandchildren. She is a life coach and inspirational speaker. She has always loved children. She has taught from elementary to senior high, her favorite grade being grade one. She also teaches on parenting, marriage and the importance of following God's word. This is her first book which was a great and wonderful challenge. Because she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis she was forced due to health reasons to quit a job she loved. It was then she discovered her love for writing.