I was eight years’ old when I got chickenpox. Like any child with a common virus, I went back to school after two weeks but I began to fall asleep a lot in class and it soon became clear to my teachers and parents that something was wrong.
My GP referred me to Southampton General Hospital in the same month, where I spent two weeks under observation. I slept almost continuously while the doctors ran tests but they could find nothing wrong with me except the need to sleep, so I was moved up to see a consultant.