The Pomegranate Seed: Nikki Russo's Sojourn Through Institutional Failure and the World of the Occult

Filled with chilling detail, The Pomegranate Seed exposes one woman's true story of obsession, sexual abuse, and emotional turmoil caused by a twisted relationship with what should have been a trusted medical professional.

In 1988, fifteen-year-old Nikki Russo entered a California hospital for treatment of an eating disorder. She thought her recovery would be brief, but she did not count on Patricia Anne Petrillo, the intake hospital nurse who soon became obsessed with Nikki. Even after she was released from the hospital, Petrillo encouraged a relationship with Nikki that involved drugs, alcohol, and sex, eventually plunging Nikki into a vortex of obsession and exploitation.

With the aid of other medical and mental health professionals, Nikki was manipulated with lies and deceit into becoming emancipated from her parents. She soon led a life on the run with Petrillo, one that involved initiation into a coven of witches and physical and psychological abuse. Finally, Nikki had the courage to escape her captors, find her way back home, and begin the painful process of rebuilding her life.

The Pomegranate Seed candidly shows Nikki Russo's courageous struggle to come to terms with her past and reveals the strength of her spirit in the face of overwhelming odds.