Happy New Year! 2013 was an exciting BUSY year, I’m still catching my breath. 

2013 in Review:

• “Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy” won First Prize in San Francisco Book Festival’s Biography/Autobiography Contest and reached over 15,000 readers
• Narcolepsy Awareness Video Series now has 24 videos
• National Sleep Walk 2013 in Washington DC, Hawaii and Texas.
• Narcolepsy Infographic is now being used in the US and Norway
• Co-led Unite Narcolepsy Initiative setting record-participation at FDA
• 11 speaking engagements across the country including APSS Sleep Meeting, the Social Media for Pharma Conference, the Southern Sleep Society Conference, the BRPT Symposium, the Kentucky Sleep Society Conference, the Narcolepsy Network Conference, and Florida International University
• Created first-ever Narcolepsy Mobile App 
• Earned media included BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, PBS, BC Law Magazine, The Pink Sheet, Dr. Don Show, EmpowHER, Sirius XM Radio & Forward Motion
• “Dear Diagnosis” Blogathon received over 50 responses
• NARCOLEPSY: NOT ALONE campaign collected 840 photos from all 50 U.S. States and 33 countries
• Jack &  Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship launched, the first-ever scholarship for students with narcolepsy

Funniest Moment of 2013:

• Being followed by a Japanese film crew determined to capture my cataplexy on camera. After two days of frustration and exhaustion, I ended up having a full-body attack playing a Japanese version of Rock Paper Scissors. This was the FIRST time in my life I was congratulated for having cataplexy. The TV show “Syndrome X” aired in Japan, but not in the US – I’m glad not to view my cataplexy. 

Happiest Moment:

• Meeting Dr. Oliver Sacks 

Lessons Learned:

• Courage is contagious. By standing up for what I believe in, others will stand up too.
• Each “little project” takes a lot of time and energy. Be realistic, dear, you still have narcolepsy.

Dreams for 2014:

• Connecting with my hero, Ellen DeGeneres
• Reaching 1,000 NARCOLEPSY: NOT ALONE photos by Feb. 14
• Launching Project Sleep – my new non-profit to raise awareness about sleep health and sleep disorders

I could not have accomplished any of this alone. Thank you for your amazing support. Wishing everyone a happy new year filled with joy, wakefulness and dreams come true!