Performing on stage in front of hundreds of people is sure to make anyone nervous. Whether it’s Celine Dion in front of an entire stadium or an eccentric drag queen at last week’s Drag Ball, they will all tell you it takes guts to get up on that stage. There’s always that ‘What if’ voice looming: “What if I trip?” “What if I forget the words?” “What if I freeze up and forget the moves?” For the majority of performers, “freezing up” is just a metaphor for overwhelming nerves. But what if your body actually physically stopped moving?
Sarah, a young dancer, endured this frightening experience and much more. In 2007, at 16, Sarah was in the middle of a dance performance when she stopped moving mid-pirouette and stiffly fell to the floor. From that point on, several traumatic and puzzling symptoms appeared.
Previously a straight A student, Sarah’s cognitive skills became severely compromised as she slowly lost the ability to read, which doctors initially attributed to a learning disorder. She soon began developing weird behavioral habits such as furiously unrolling rolls of toilet paper in the bathrooms. The school counselors insisted Sarah was mentally disturbed and requested that she be removed from school and undergo intensive psychotherapy. While being tutored at home, Sarah’s mother noticed new symptoms: sporadic laughing spells and hallucinations. Numerous neurologists insisted she was mentally ill, while psychology professionals claimed that it was a neurological disorder.
Even when a medical professional did conduct extensive tests, including an EEG and several types of bloodwork, the test results were either negative or inconclusive.
What caused Sarah, a star performer and stellar student, to eventually slip into such an abnormal state? Was there a cure? Stay tuned next week for the answer!
Answer from last issue: Gabby had a disease called HSAN or hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy. It is a rare genetic disorder that affects the sensory nerves that detect pain and temperature.
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