Woman's rare condition makes it painfully obvious when she's attracted to someone
Northwich, UK - Kirsty Brown must always be worried about the prospect of someone attractive. The reason for this is that she might literally faint at the sight of someone who gets her heart racing – all due to an extremely rare disorder wreaking havoc on the 32-year-old's life.
The mother of two from Northwich, England, has been diagnosed with cataplexy, which causes sudden muscle paralysis.
The condition is a rare form of narcolepsy, a chronic sleep disorder which causes daytime drowsiness and sudden sleep attacks.
Her attacks usually last less than two minutes and can be triggered by strong emotions, including anger, laughter, and arousal.
Kirsty revealed to the Daily Mail that her attacks can be very "embarrassing" at times, especially when she feels attracted to someone.
"It's so embarrassing. I was out shopping once and I saw someone that looked alright, and my legs just went and I had to cling onto my cousin for support."
Her disorder makes it fairly difficult for the Brit to flirt with people and date someone she finds attractive.
"I haven't had an attraction that strong recently that it would trigger an attack which on one hand is brilliant but also a bit sad because I'd like to feel that attracted to someone."
Kirsty Brown raises two children on her own despite her condition
Kirsty's fainting fits are no joke and have often landed the woman in dangerous situations.
"There's been times when I've been arguing, and I've collapsed which does put an end to the argument. I'm due to have physio on my back because I hurt it when I had an attack," she explained.
"I can have an attack at the top of a flight of stairs if they're steep because I don't like heights. I'm trying to move to a new house that doesn't have stairs or where I can have a stairlift," she continued.
The condition has also complicated Kirsty's job search.
"It has been a struggle because I brought my kids up on my own and it's hard to find a job when you need to explain that you could collapse at any point."
The mother was first diagnosed with cataplexy at nine years old after she was treated for a head injury.
She can suffer up to 50 attacks a day.
Cover photo: Screenshot/Instagram/curlywurlykitkat09