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Uncontrollable ZZZZZs
Narcolepsy in Children
Part Two
By Carma Haley
"I was diagnosed with narcolepsy at the age of 9," says Brian Chaney, a construction worker from Medina, Ohio. "I remember not being able to wake up in the mornings and falling asleep just about anywhere, regardless of what I was doing. I have been taking medication ever since. I drive, I work and I do whatever I want to do. As long as I take my medication, I can live my life and not worry about it or even think about it."
Narcolepsy is a very treatable disorder. Receiving a diagnosis of narcolepsy does not mean the end of a happy, carefree childhood; it only means that treatment or medication is necessary. Narcoleptic children who receive treatment can run, play, laugh, cry, sleep over at a friend's, plan to get their driver's licenses and anything else they wish to do.
"That's the bottom line -- it's treatable," says Sheldon. "There is no reason that children with narcolepsy have to be any different from children without it. All they need is treatment that is proper for them and no one would be able to pick them out of a crowd."