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In 2011, Beth Goodier fell asleep — and then didn’t wake up for months.
Goodier was very quickly diagnosed with “Sleeping Beauty Syndrome,” more professionally referred to as Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS). Individuals with this condition end up sleeping for excessive amounts of time. When they wake up, they behave in abnormal ways, often acting like a child rather than their own age.
This is precisely what happens to Goodier.
The 22-year-old has spent the last five years living at home with her mom, where she can best be taken care of and tended to, when she does wake.
In these limited hours, Goodier uses a baby voice to talk, throws childish tantrums, and excessively eats junk food. Since 2014, she’s tried to combat the negative effects of KLS by being more mindful of her health when she’s awake, like going to the gym and eating healthily.
She explained, “Anything I can do to help my health I'll do because I'm so unhealthy in other aspects.”
Goodier’s neurologist, Guy Leschizner said that it’s common for people to develop this condition in their adolescence – also one of the worst periods of life to spend months on end sleeping, because these years are so “crucial” to a person’s education, social life, family life, and career.
Leschizner believes most patients outgrow KLS in about 13 years. Goodier hasn’t showed any signs of slowing yet, unfortunately.
Her mother, Janine, is devastated. “It breaks my heart to see the best years of her life slipping away,” she explained.
We can only hope that Goodier’s condition gradually improves over time – and in less time than has already passed.
You can keep up with her episodes on her personal Facebook.
