Living with a rare disease

The story of Dinese

My name is Dinese. About 12 years ago, I wasn’t feeling up to par. I was on my home when the next thing I know, I’m seeing that I was in a head-on accident. I wasn’t aware of it until the EMT was helping me out of the car. There weren’t any injuries to the other driver or myself. I was taken to the hospital to be checked. My license was taken away from me until I proved it was a medical condition that caused me to have the accident. After different testing and sleep studies, I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy with Cataplexy. Having this rare disease has caused all kinds of problems. I fall asleep during conversations, and when I’m out6 somewhere visiting. People who don’t have this disease don’t understand that you can’t control your falling asleep. I’ve been yelled at so many times and removed from attending different functions with my daughter. Doesn’t matter that do know about this rare disease because they were educated about it, they still get upset with me. As I am getting older, it seems this disease is only getting worst for me. Especially in the afternoons. I feel like I’m having out-of-body experiences. This disease is really scaring me. I see my doctor next week and we’ll see what she says.