Sleeping to Live - Part 2

Thankfully, my teenage body rebounded fairly quickly from the indignities imposed upon it by cataplexy and surgery. A few short weeks of relatively simple physical therapy later, I was off the crutches, and settling back into the routine of the teenage nerd of the 1990s: school, homework, and hanging out with my friends to play video games or Magic cards.

Upon return to school, however, narcolepsy began to spread its tendrils of influence through my life, unseen under the guise of the habits of typical teenager, which I was not. But who could blame the teachers and doctors for their ignorance? I started junior high school the same way I left elementary school, on the honor roll.

The decline started with math, specifically Algebra I. The early morning start time left me at a disadvantage to truly master these complex concepts. I would start a long relationship with caffeine at this time, self-medicating with Frappucinos and Jolt cola, trying desperately to fight the tides of fatigue that were pulling my eyelids and grades steadily downward.

Hot California afternoons spent in U.S. and World History only served to deepen my struggle against sleep. How do you take notes in class when your body and mind must be treated as the enemy lying in wait? But I never let my difficulties stop me from trying, and never resorted to cheating. I excelled in the classes where my body was cooperating, and used those victories to bolster myself when I felt doubt gnawing at me.

Another great positive I had in my life was that Jessica and her family had opened their home to me after school. I lived in a small town 15 minutes away, and started off the 7th grade year taking the bus home. Our fast friendship prompted both of our parents to allow me to come over after the school day was done, and have my mom pick me up after she was finished with work. We would spend almost every afternoon after school together all throughout junior high.

Jessica's family and home represented everything I wanted for my future. A normal, stable home life with everyday luxuries like central air conditioning, Internet access, and cars newer than 10 years old. But the friendship of Jessica and her family was what truly brought me joy, and not just a goal to work towards achieving. She and her family saw me for who I was on the inside. They didn't care that my family was working-class poor, that I dressed in ill-fitting clothes that were just behind the popularity curve. They just accepted me as Jessica's best friend, nothing more, nothing less. I had a safe haven in them.

With perseverance and absurd amounts of caffeine, junior high eventually gave way to high school. I had managed to do well enough in my classes that I wasn't worried about graduating high school, but advanced classes were rapidly slipping out of my reach. High school, however, would hold more challenges in store for me than just a dwindling choice of classes to take.