Jun 13 2019
Narcolepsy Awareness Campaign – National Sleep Week 2015 Reflection
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National Sleep Week – March 2-8, 2015
A BIG BIG thank you to everyone who supported the awareness campaign promoted by Wake Up Narcolepsy (WUN) during National Sleep Week 2015. We had an uplifting week and were able to convey important factual information about narcolepsy that educated others about the seriousness of the disease. The campaign focused on relaying information and educating others through our social media platforms as well as traditional media outlets in Massachusetts and Michigan.
Dr. Patrick and Laura Fabrizio on Michigan WZZM13
Laura Fabrizio, a WUN Board Member, and a mother of a 14-year-old boy with narcolepsy, successfully educated others in MI about narcolepsy. Throughout the week, she appeared on various radio/television shows and presented to several medical groups at MI hospitals.
Our social media campaign was well received from the beginning with people showing their support by changing their Facebook profile picture to the “alarm clock,” sharing, liking and commenting on our alarming facts about narcolepsy. The alarm clock represented the alarming facts about narcolepsy, and we shared these facts all week long. The facts tied into the #AlarmedFace selfies we asked people to post to show their support, and help spread awareness of the campaign. A special thank you to Ginger Zee, the chief meteorologist at Good Morning America, who posted her #AlarmedFace to support our campaign, and openly acknowledged that she suffers from narcolepsy.
Ginger Zee, ABC’s Good Morning America showing her #AlarmedFace
The narcolepsy community showed their sincere gratitude to Ginger Zee by thanking her and commenting on her honesty and bravery that she shared something so personal which carries a stigma and many misconceptions. Wake Up Narcolepsy is also extremely appreciative that Ginger shared her personal experience with narcolepsy. We believe this will help to start to change the conversation about narcolepsy on a national level, and bring narcolepsy into the light for what it is, a serious complex neurological disorder that is in desperate need of greater understanding and funding!
We are very fortunate that Wake Up Narcolepsy was able to bring narcolepsy to a national audience on the morning of March 6, 2015, when we visited the Good Morning America Show. We visited GMA to thank Ginger for her help and show her our support. It was very exciting to have the opportunity to give our spiel about narcolepsy and Wake Up Narcolepsy on GMA, and we thank Ginger Zee and ABC Good Morning America for all of their help!