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Kerly Joy Bwoga

@kerlyjoynaps

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I have Narcolepsy Type 1, Sleep Apnea, RLS, PLM, RBD & TMD.
Founder of NapsForLife.Narcolepsy and Narcolepsy Navigators Podcast

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And, that’s a wrap. 🎬 We’re one month past the eighth annual World Narcolepsy Day, and we’re so grateful for the community that gathers to celebrate and uplift each other every year.

Not only did we see #narcolepsy make headlines and orexin take the stage, but we saw record numbers of participants around the world stepping into the spotlight to share their own stories.

We are also so proud to have released a project years in the making, a first-ever report of its kind with the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center (@learcenter @hollywdhealth) on narcolepsy representation in TV shows and movies. 🎥

From local meetups to online events, this World Narcolepsy Day was filled with real stories and true narcolepsy stars across the world. 🌟 See what everyone got up to: #WorldNarcolepsyDay

What story will we write next?

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Her local hospital told her mum she was “just fat and lazy.” Turns out it was narcolepsy type 1 — and she wouldn’t be diagnosed for another 8 years.

Kylie Dennis O’Sullivan started having cataplexy attacks at 11 — screaming that there was someone at her window, convinced there were spiders crawling on her. Her mum, a nurse, knew something was wrong. Doctors didn’t believe her for years.

In this Black History Month UK special, Kylie talks about:
🧠 being the first person in her borough diagnosed with narcolepsy in 20 years
👩🏾 growing up mixed-heritage and what her mum taught her about how the world would see her
💊 14 tablets a day, a gastric bypass, and finally finding meds that work
👶🏾 becoming a single mom to baby Myles — and relearning rest on her own terms
🎧 why music (and the orexin science behind it) keeps her regulated

She’s not fat and lazy. She’s outside the box — and she’s done apologizing for it.

🎧 New episode is live — link in bio.
💬 Were you ever dismissed before you got a real diagnosis? Tell us below.

#Narcolepsy #NarcolepsyType1 #BlackHistoryMonthUK #InvisibleDisability #NarcolepsyAwareness ChronicIllnessMom Cataplexy NarcolepsyNavigators

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Sometimes breakthroughs come from unlikely places, like a newspaper article from your math teacher's husband.

Kerly Bwoga (@KerlyJoyNaps) spent three years enduring symptoms with no answers from her doctors, nearly failing out of college as her narcolepsy symptoms continued without relief.

It wasn't until a newspaper article about a teacher experiencing cataplexy, suggested by her math professor's husband, that Kerly figured out what was going on with her.

Kerly was finally diagnosed with type 1 narcolepsy with cataplexy after taking the article to her doctors.

Her sleep specialist was surprised she hadn't been diagnosed sooner.

Watch Kerly's full #WorldNarcolepsyDay story share on our YouTube channel at the link in bio!

#narcolepsy #SleepStories #tired

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Kerly B., Founder of NapsForLife
“It’s really intuitive — you just snap a picture of your meds, and it keeps everything in one place.”

Kerly’s been with CareTrack since the very beginning, not just as NapsForLife’s founder but as someone managing narcolepsy type 1, REM behavior disorder, sleep apnea, and more, all at once. Watching her use the app to spot her own patterns and walk into appointments prepared is the whole reason this exists. 🙏

Proud partner of NapsForLife 💚

steadycaretrack.com
#ChronicIllness #CareTrack #NapsForLife #Narcolepsy #Spoonie

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They compared us to a fainting goat and a screaming goat. 🐐

Mel has narcolepsy without cataplexy. Jeanna has Tourette syndrome. They met in a Walmart parking lot, went viral for a motorcycle ride, and have been each other's safe place ever since — through a cancer relapse, childhood trauma, and a LOT of dark humor. 🛵💛

In this episode of Narcolepsy Navigators, Mel ("Mel of the Mountains") and Jeanna (founder of Tourette Taxi) sit down with our hosts to talk about:
🐐 the viral ride that had the internet arguing over whether her narcolepsy was "real"
🧠 narcolepsy type 1 vs. type 2, explained in plain language
🩹 what it actually means to feel safe enough to stop apologizing for your symptoms
💛 porch therapy, cancer relapse, and why humor is their favorite medicine

They call themselves a fainting goat and a screaming goat. We call it one of the most honest conversations we've had on this show.

🎧 New episode is live — link in bio: https://youtu.be/6eqpCFcJWAA
👂🏽 Do you have a friend who "gets it" without explanation? Tell us about them below.

#Narcolepsy #TouretteSyndrome #NarcolepsyAwareness #TouretteTaxi #ChronicIllnessFriendship #InvisibleIllness #DisabilityAdvocacy #NarcolepsyNavigators #CataplexyAwareness #DisabilityCommunity

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Join us for Kerly Bwoga's #RisingVoices narcolepsy story share LIVE from London on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, at 11 a.m. ET! 🌟

From her diagnosis at age 18 to creating and hosting the Narcolepsy Navigators podcast, Kerly will share her journey to becoming a powerful voice in the sleep community and helping others be heard.

And don’t forget to tune in on World Narcolepsy Day, Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. ET, for an interview with Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, Director of the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy. 🔬

📽️➡️ Attend our 2026 #WorldNarcolepsyDay events via Project Sleep's YouTube channel or at the link in bio! Kerly Bwoga, a black woman from the UK in a blue turtleneck with a dark red micro hairstyle and winged eyeshadow, smiles from a poster promoting her Rising Voices story sharing on living with narcolepsy, hosted by Project Sleep. The live-streamed event will take place September 15 at 11 a.m. eastern time or UTC minus 4 as a part of the World Narcolepsy Day event series.

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🌍 World Narcolepsy Day is almost here — September 22nd!

Narcolepsy touches lives everywhere, from the UK to Sweden to China to Bulgaria and beyond. This year, Narcolepsy Navigators is inviting our global community to raise their voice and be part of the change.

Share a story to change a story. 💙

Every story shared helps break the silence, fight the stigma, and push for better understanding worldwide. Ready to share yours? Link in bio.

#WorldNarcolepsyDay #NarcolepsyNavigators #NapsForLife

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The Naps for Life shop is officially LIVE! 🎉☕️
New tees, “The Future Is Wide Awake” mugs, and more — made for this community, by this community.
Shop link in bio — every piece helps keep the advocacy going. 💙 #NarcolepsyAwareness #NapsForLife

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While attending SLEEP 2026, our patient advocates brought something that can’t be found in just any research paper: Lived Experience.

They connected with others, shared their stories, asked important questions, and helped bring the patient perspective into conversations about the future of sleep health.

Their experiences remind us why patient advocacy matters. Behind every diagnosis, treatment, and research finding is a person looking for answers, support, and a better quality of life.

At WSCN, we believe patients should have a voice in the conversation. We’re committed to making sleep health information easier to understand, grounded in science, and centered on the people it serves.

When you support WSCN, you help us continue amplifying patient voices and making trusted sleep and circadian health education accessible to everyone.

Read the full blog article to hear more about all the wonderful things our patient advocates experienced at Sleep 2026.

#SleepHealth #PatientAdvocacy #OwnAll24Hours #CircadianHealth #SupportOurMission

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Bloodbound: Wolf Legacy Series Book 1. Now available on Amazon https://amzn.eu/d/0fIi0lnY

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Bloodbound: Wolf Legacy Series Book 1. Now available on Amazon https://amzn.eu/d/0fIi0lnY

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➡️Swipe to see patient advocacy in action!

🌟 From June 14-17, 2026, Project Sleep team members and advocates gathered in Baltimore, MD for #SLEEP2026 — the premier meeting in sleep medicine and research, hosted by @aasmorg and @researchsleep.

🎤 We presented in sessions, participated in panels, and emphasized the importance of including patient perspectives in every conversation about #sleephealth and #sleepdisorders.

📸 Swipe to see some of our favorite moments at SLEEP, then head to the 🔗 in our bio for the full recap!

🌌 A huge thank you to all of the amazing community members and patient advocates that traveled far and wide to support Project Sleep and its mission. Thank you AASM and Sleep Research Society for encouraging clinicians and researchers to include patient voices and patient advocacy organizations in your major sleep meeting!

#SleepResearch #SleepAdvocacy

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