Struggling to stay awake during lectures may sound like a joke amongst students, but Christine Donaghy knew there was something more sinister surrounding her tiredness.
So, worried she wouldn't get the 2:1 she knew she deserved on her Law with Politics degree at Queen's University , she decided it was time to push for answers.
Christine, who had been complaining about severe tiredness from the age of 16, was then referred to neurology experts and was eventually diagnosed with narcolepsy, a rare long-term brain condition that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep.
Her diagnosis in December 2017 came after almost four years of investigations and a lifetime of unexplained sleepiness and falling asleep at inappropriate times.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Christine - who lives in Belfast but grew up in Derry - said she wanted to bust myths around the condition and stop it being regarded as "something to be joked about"
Read the full interview here.
“It is very frustrating because people think it’s funny, people would joke and say they wish they could fall asleep anywhere”
