Jun 16 2019
Swimmer Doesn’t Let Narcolepsy Slow Her Down
Posted at Jun 16 2019
h in Voices of Narcolepsy
h in Voices of Narcolepsy
Danielle Brooks sleeps in the car during the 25-minute drive to swim practice. Her mom lets her snooze five more minutes in the parking lot. The 17-year-old wakes up grumpy and doesn’t feel like talking, so she and her mom silently enter an aquatics center in Gainesville.
Danielle snacks on a few almonds. She changes into a lime-green-and-black bathing suit, slips into a pool and feels better the moment the water touches her skin. As her intense, 90-minute swim practice begins, she’s no longer a teenager struggling with a serious illness. She’s conquering it.