Desireé Gorbea-Finalet is a person with Type 1 Narcolepsy and a student of Peace and Conflict Studies.
In this episode, Claire and Desireé discuss how because she was labeled as a “good sleeper” as a young child that it may have contributed to a delayed diagnosis. Growing up in Puerto Rico, her family had a history of migraines so when she sought out help her doctors and neurologists focused on the migraines rather than her excessive daytime sleepiness.
Despite struggling with excessive daytime sleepiness, Desireé was always super productive during her wakefulness. She participated in extracurricular activities and completed both high school and her undergrad within three years. In 2017, after the destructive effects of Hurricane Maria, Desireé came to the States. Since coming to the States she has been able to receive better narcolepsy care and get plugged into a local support group.
Desireé encourages everyone to listen to their bodies and intuition and to not give up advocating for yourself until you find out what is “wrong” with your body.
You can follow Desireé @uniboricua on Instagram. She recommends the following Facebook groups -- Foothills Narcolepsy Support Group (Specifically for individuals living in North-Western North Carolina and Southern Virginia), Narcolepsy Humor, and Narcolepsy Support Group.
You can follow Wake Up Narcolepsy at @narcolepsy_360 on Instagram, @wakeupnarcolepsy on Instagram and Facebook and @wakenarcolepsy on Twitter. Let us know your thoughts about this episode by using the hashtag #narcolepsy360 and please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.
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