Working with Narcolepsy Part II: Hunting for a Nap Room

In December 2014, our office moved from Downtown Los Angeles to Irwindale, CA. My commute went from 7 miles to 25 miles. At the same time, our office environment went from private offices to cubicles. To be fair – I was well informed about this before I signed up for the job. (Read Part I…

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Working with Narcolepsy: Part I – I Fought the Nap and the Nap Won.

On Friday, I was so surprised to be awarded a Values In Action (VIA) award for “Excellence” at work! As I approached the stage, the presenter read the comments from my nomination: Julie is always excited to take on any new task. She approaches her work with enthusiasm, regardless of how big or small the assignment is.…

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Meet Owen, 11 Year Old Boy Living with Narcolepsy

Recently, I received a video from a mother of a young boy with narcolepsy. Warning: I cannot watch this video without crying. Brooke describes: “My 11-year-old son, Owen, was diagnosed with narcolepsy last spring. It was and is scary, and there just isn’t a lot of information out there, especially positive information! So you have…

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Project Sleep Awards 10 Scholarships to Students with Narcolepsy Entering College

While crossing the finish line of the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon was an awesome moment, my biggest prize came yesterday when Project Sleep gave out TEN scholarships to students with narcolepsy through the Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship program. Meet the 2015 Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship Recipients: View Scholarship Awards Announcement View/Download…

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Update: The Simpsons Executive Producer Responds

Over the weekend, the Executive Producer of The Simpsons, Al Jean, corresponded briefly regarding the Homer Simpson narcolepsy news via Twitter. First, he tweeted “.@thesimpsons Extremely interesting article about the true dangers of narcolepsy” to share the NY Post article on my experience with narcolepsy (re-published from Women’s Health Magazine). View the tweet here and retweet! I responded,…

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Narcolepsy Epidemic in Hollywood – Homer Simpson Latest Victim

It seems that Hollywood has a surprisingly large percentage of cases of narcolepsy, a disorder affecting 1 in 2,000 people, about 200,000 Americans and 3 million people worldwide, including many children and young adults. The latest Hollywood victim is Homer Simpson. Word on the street is he going to discover he has narcolepsy in the…

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YOU CAN AND YOU WILL (Marathon Part II)

As I crossed the start line of the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon, runners started passing me. I laughed when a pack of Elvis(s) passed me. Typical. “Slow and steady. No one to beat. Nothing to prove,” I told myself. My shirt was drenched with sweat within 3 miles. Soon my hands raisined and…

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The Final Countdown… REM Running a Marathon this Sunday!

On my final training run tonight, I got to thinking — last time I ran a marathon, I ended up writing a book about it. I wonder what the Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon has in store for me! So far, this marathon experience has been a wild ride. I started training in the midst of…

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NARCOLEPSY: NOT ALONE Runs Great Ocean Road Marathon in Australia

Just 9 days until my marathon and I’m super inspired by Louise, Jacob and their crew of 20 people who sported NARCOLEPSY: NOT ALONE for the Great Ocean Road Marathon in Australia last weekend. 12 runners wore the shirts (including 3 young doctors who have promised to spread the word amongst their peers!), and 8…

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