Rare brain condition makes UK woman collapse any time she sees someone 'attractive'

A 32-year-old mother from the UK, who suffers from a rare brain disorder, avoids eye contact with anyone she finds attractive in order to stop losing control of her body. Kirsty Brown,  from Northwich, Cheshire, has been diagnosed with cataplexy, which is a sudden muscle paralysis that can be triggered by any strong emotion such as anger, laughter and fear. The condition is associated with narcolepsy, a sleep disorder, and the attacks usually last less than two minutes. 

According to MailOnline, Brown has five attacks of Cataplexy per day. However, while speaking to the media outlet, she revealed that she can have up to 50 on a bad day, making it difficult to leave the house. Brown said that due to her condition that can trigger a collapse or injury, she often keeps her head down in public and avoids eye contact at all costs. 

‘It’s like short circuit…’ 

The 32-year-old said that if she sees someone attractive, her legs just go because of which she tries not to put herself in such situations where that could happen, or she tries to keep her eyes down for her own safety. Brown said that as it is a sleep disorder and because she doesn’t get much sleep or deep sleep, she has more attacks than usual. She revealed that she can have an attack at the top of a flight of stairs if they’re steep. Anger and laughter can also trigger it, she said. 

It’s any strong emoticon or loud noises like beeping cars or shouting that can cause Brown to collapse. As per reports, the mother of two was born with the narcolepsy gene, but it was brought on early by a head injury when she was aged nine. Brown said that it has been a struggle for her because she brought her kids on her own and it is also hard to find a job when she has to explain that she could collapse at any point. “It's like a short circuit from the brain to the muscle is interrupted and I just lose control over my legs, but the top half of my body does feel strong,” Brown said. 

(Rep image: Unsplash)