A schoolgirl cannot play outside with her friends or ride a bike – because she nods off up to thirty times a day.
Sade Biggs, 8, suffers from an extreme form of narcolepsy.
She was diagnosed with the severe sleep disorder as well as cataplexy, an associated condition concerning muscle control, in 2007.
Her mother Dana Thompson, 37, from London said: ‘I noticed it really early on. When she was two, I knew that something wasn’t right.
Sade has had regular tests in hospital over the past three years but she cannot take medication as it is designed for adults and causes unpleasant side-effects.
Sade sleeps at random intervals, sometimes all day and all night, and loses control of her body.
The schoolgirl said: ‘I like sleeping, but it means I can’t get my work done.’
She also suffers terrible nightmares, a common symptom of her disorder.
Dana has had to explain to concerned adults that Sade is not staying up late.
Narcolepsy is caused by the brain’s inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally and is incurable.
‘Sade can’t go on school trips and I can’t even allow her to go outside to play with friends,’ Ms Thompson said.
Dr Parviz Habibi, a paediatric consultant at Imperial College Healthcare, said: ‘Many children with narcolepsy become very ‘cranky’ and have other behavioural problems, including hyperactivity and problems with attention and learning.’
John Cherry, chief executive of Narcolepsy UK, said Sade’s condition was unusual but her early diagnosis could help her in the long run.
"Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. "
http://www.kenyahealthline.com