humanity

Advocates, icons, influencers, and more. All about humanity.

My Life with Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a health condition.It is caused by a reduction of a certain protein produced by the brain called hypocretin, which affects sleep cycles. Normal sleep should consist of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non REM stages. REM is the stage of sleep at which dreams occur. When I go to sleep I will start dreaming within 10 seconds, and my dreams wont stop until I wake up.This due to lack of non REM sleep. This is both energy consuming and exhausting. Sleep is the only time your brain get to actually rest.To me, my brain is never resting. That beautiful filtering process scientists talk about when you sleep never happens to my brain. Toxins over time will eventually build up. Is it affecting my cognitive abilities? I have watched my self slowly transform from the child who had the highest IQ, to the adult that cant spell words correctly, to an adult who cant calculate simple additions, who sometimes struggles to read.The answer is yes.I have a very strong will. I was the student always sleeping in the back of the class room, all through my high school years.I watched my teachers watch me sleep and I didn’t say a word, I got yelled at, and even kicked out of class room, still didn’t say a word. Although I was already diagnosed with Narcolepsy, I chose to keep it to my self.By the end of the year I was still the Valedictorian student. This continued during my college years,I was notorious for being sleeping in classrooms,in hallways,everywhere.Still succeeded to astonish my professors.This has been my coping mechanism to this damn disease, to constantly have an inner challenge that no one knew about. By accomplishing a healthy person’s accomplishment I felt rewarded. I did not need anyone else to know that. I have always hated to look weak. I remember fighting with my mother when I found out she had told couple of our family members. I can fall in sleep on the couch and no one can tell that I had a condition, but once they knew, they looked at me differently. I HATED IT! Don’t look at me differently, don’t treat me differently,don’t worry about me or feel sorry for me. I GOT THIS.This Mother F***er is not getting the best of me. NOT YET.
By SAM6 years ago in Longevity
It Could Also Happen to You
It was summertime. Sun was so hot and humid and for some reason we thought it would be a great day walking up the steep hill with sandwiches and water jug in the bag. Who knew after everything I have gone through I have forgotten how to breathe! Silly to think about it now but the deep big breaths after 5 minutes of walking was no joke.
By JULIE GUERRERO6 years ago in Longevity
No One Gets Out Alive
“There must be some kind of way outta here Said the joker to the thief There's too much confusion I can't get no relief.” ”All Along the Watchtower,” by Bob Dylan
By Nicole Anderson6 years ago in Longevity
Our New World
For more than 50 days in quarantine we have to appreciate that even our medical team around the world have been really hard for them. Working long days and hours without have the opportunities to be in home with the loved ones.
By Kanil Ortiz6 years ago in Longevity
The Fight Against COVID-19
Soap, running water, and 20 seconds of patience, this is what it takes to wash your hands, which is the first line of defense in this global war against the novel coronavirus a.k.a COVID-19, according to the WHO. Tonnes of messages been churned out during this pandemic have emphasized this, consequently creating a spike in consumer demand for handwash products with businesses in the value chain been the biggest beneficiary.
By Dexter Ohaeri6 years ago in Longevity
This Is The Dark Side Of Lockdown - More Shameless Confessions
Many are trying to survive in this horrible and tedious period of lockdown. Life is becoming beige. Every day feels the same. If you are one of the (so-called) lucky ones to be working from home, your mainly dull, but sometimes okay job is making you unsatisfied.
By Anton Black6 years ago in Longevity
Living A New Normal
A new normal has settled over the world. Masks and gloves have become the latest accessories for pretty much the entire world. Sanitizer and cleaning supplies have been cleaned from the shelves. Toilet paper among other essential everyday items have been hoarded and booed by everyone who has to use alternative forms when wiping. Seriously, the cat was looking like an option there for a second. But she has claws and no sense of sacrificing for her family.
By Kathryn Parker6 years ago in Longevity
Quarantine in a nutshell.
The more the days drag on, the more I am not able to leave the same 4 walls everyday, the more I feel I am waking up and repeating a groundhogs day, I feel it is literally testing everything I have ever gone through..
By Alexis Danielle6 years ago in Longevity
Thank you superheroes
COVID-19 is spreading very easily and sustainably between people. Information from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic suggests that this virus is spreading more efficiently than influenza, but not as efficiently as measles, which is highly contagious.
By Tima Blaf6 years ago in Longevity
Is Tourism A Four Letter Word?
There is an eerie calm in the city of Victoria. Today being Victoria Day, the grounds of the Legislature pictured above would by this time be full of various high school bands from around the Pacific Northwest performing for the better part of the day right up there on those well weathered steps that have seen the likes of many a protest over the 100 + years of their existence. Unfortunately today, they shall remain silent. Victoria and it's namesake Victoria Day parade all but cancelled long ago. Really a Victoria tradition and the largest such parade in the country with typically upwards of 100 various bands. They come from the likes of Alberta and BC of course, but also Washington State, Oregon, and all the way down to Southern California for the weekend here.
By Joseph Willson6 years ago in Longevity
Living With Multiple Sclerosis
It all started in the Summer of 2018. I had woken up one morning and couldn't see out of my right eye. At first, I figured I had just got something in my eye or rubbed it too much. However, after a few days, nothing seemed to be helping. I was completely terrified, everything had become a blur. My mom and I went to the regular eye doctor and they began running some tests however, I struggled with some due to the fact that I saw nothing. Shortly after the tests were complete, the doctor suggested I go see an ophthalmologist because she was unsure of what was wrong with me. A few days later, I found myself undergoing more tests and procedures with the opthalmologist. She seemed to believe the only way to tell what was the exact problem was to get a brain MRI. That weekend I found myself getting admitted to the hospital after the MRI. I was completely confused because I had went in for an MRI and they said I had to be admitted. That same night I underwent another MRI, 3 spinal taps and had abour 17 vials of blood taken for sampling. I was then hooked up to an IV drip and disturbed constantly as I tried to sleep. Within the next couple of days, I dealt with constant tests and procedures from numerous amounts of doctors. We had found out the reason my eye was blurred was due to a condition called optic neuritis. Sadly, that wasn't the only thing they discovered. Through the MRI's and spinal taps, they discovered leisions on my brain and spine resulting in the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. I was beyond scared because I had never heard of this disorder and everyone seemed alarmed. They were so confused, how did a 17 year old end up with Multiple Sclerosis? Once I was released from the hospital, life started changing. I couldn't do everything I once loved doing without doing it in moderation. Things became really difficult and depression started to kick in. Nearly two years later, I have tried 3 different medications to slow the progression of this disorder along with nearly 5 different medications to help ease the constant pain.While living with Multiple Sclerosis has changed my life and I have bad days, I just remind myself that my disorder does not define who I am. I'm not Multiple Sclerosis. I'm Lianna, the girl with Multiple Sclerosis. To everyone suffering from any kind of life modifying disorder, you are not your disorder, you are so much more and you will achieve your goals, slowly but surely.
By Lianna 6 years ago in Longevity
This Is One Of The Most Active Cities Suddenly Turned Into A Beautiful Ghost Town. Top Story - May 2020.
I heard that nineteen people had been arrested and a further ten fined after a group gathered to protest against coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Hyde Park, on Saturday.
By Anton Black6 years ago in Longevity