When Willow, an active, healthy five-year-old began experiencing unusual symptoms like decreased appetite and fatigue, her mother, Valerie, didn’t assume the worst. But after her bloodwork came back abnormal – showing a critically low platelet count – Valerie’s concerns grew. It was around midnight the following day when a medical team from Children’s National Hospital in DC delivered the news that Willow had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Narcolepsy is a condition that is often misunderstood, overlooked and underdiagnosed. Many people will write off excessive daytime sleepiness in teenagers because it is assumed teenagers want to sleep more often. Sam lived more than a decade experiencing symptoms of narcolepsy without a diagnosis.
