Young woman tells what it’s like to live with narcolepsy (and shows her struggle to move on)

Many people love to sleep, but can you imagine what it would be like to live without any control over sleep? What would it be like if you fell asleep in the middle of a test or an important dinner or still talking to someone? Although this picture may seem like just momentary tiredness or laziness, in fact sleep becomes something uncontrollable for those suffering from narcolepsy. This is the case of young Peruvian Adrián Parra Morote, 19 years old, who, even with this disorder, did not give up fighting for his goals.

He and his mother, Tessy Morote, shared with the awesome.club how they deal with this situation and how they managed to overcome each of the obstacles without giving up.

It all started when Adrián was 12 years old and started having small problems in his daily life. He started to fall asleep in the middle of classes and his teachers thought that the boy had no interest in studies and that he was rude. But his parents decided to take him to a doctor and, after undergoing several tests, they discovered that Adrián had a pituitary tumor. At first, they believed that this could be the reason for the uncontrollable sleep, but a neurologist ruled out any relationship between sleep and the tumor. After a while, doctors found out that the boy was suffering from narcolepsy.

Receiving this news was not easy for Adrián’s parents. They knew nothing about the disease and had no idea how to act. Thus, the fight began. They researched the disorder in depth to learn how to deal with the problem at home. “It wasn’t easy, but I’m convinced that love can do anything. He is my eldest son and he came to change my life. It’s one of my three reasons to wake up every day and keep going. My children are my world and all this has made us closer together, because the little ones help me with Adrián when we need to wake him up. We try to look on the bright side, because everything happens for a reason,” says Tessy.

Despite the disturbance, Adrián did not abandon his goals. Today, he studies Marketing, enjoys watching series, writing and reading. One of his dreams is to leave his mark on the world through writing. “I think like this: I fall asleep, so what? I walk, I breathe, I can read and write, I’m educated, I have friends… I’m like everyone else, I just have a different life, I just need to get up when I fall,” says Adrián.

The young man tries to have a routine like anyone else’s, but admits that he faces challenges. To stay awake in his classes, he needs to take medication, and when he goes out, he uses some apps on his cell phone to avoid any incidents or to get to his destination safely. Music also helps you stay awake. Adrián had to adapt to find the best way to continue living.

Although the disorder is not that common and many people fail to understand it, Adrián always had the support of his family and, fortunately, along the way, he found friends and other people who supported him when needed. “From the first day we learned about this condition, I decided not to surrender. I try to make this problem better known, especially in Peru, and, although it is difficult, I try to give my son the confidence he needs to keep going. I am afraid to let him out and fall asleep, but he is already a man, and I learned to believe that everything would be fine, ”says his mother.

Many people can struggle to understand the complexities of someone falling asleep anywhere, without warning, but Adrián also takes advantage of this situation to have fun. “Once at school, the directors started to take a long time in a training session, so I tried to fall asleep standing up. I asked them to wake me up when it was all over. At first, they didn’t believe I had slept, but I did it in the middle of training, ”he says. The young man assures that he has not had such bad times and that his disorder has taught him patience and perseverance, even more so at school.

“I repeated a school year, since I slept during exams and had to solve everything faster. While everyone else was already finishing, I was in a hurry, solving half of the exam. Just know that life doesn’t end when you make a mistake. Remembering Rocky Balboa ‘nobody is going to hit as hard as life’, but no matter how hard it hits, in those moments we must resist, get up, improve and move on”, defends Adrián.

Tessy explains that her son taught her not to give up and to keep going, no matter how difficult the path. “Do not lose faith. Sometimes, as mothers, we feel that we are at a dead end, but having the satisfaction of seeing your child progressing, regardless of the condition, makes you feel joy and pride. When Adrián finished high school, they gave him the opportunity to speak at graduation and that made me proud because he did it and those steps he takes are the most beautiful. They make the heart and life full,” she says.

It is often easy to judge people without knowing their history. But Adrian doesn’t care about that. He always seeks to outdo himself, even against all odds. The young man has a family that supports him and accompanies him in the adventure of life. The most important thing is to complete your studies, find a job and not stop at any obstacle. We are confident that he will continue to find ways to stay in the fight and be as successful as he wants to be.

What would you do in Adrian’s place? How would you act if you had a child with narcolepsy? What message of encouragement could you give to this great fighter? Leave your opinion in the comments.