invisible disabilities Archives - Water Prairie

Monday, July 14, 2025

Episode #33: Childhood Narcolepsy

Show Notes:

Our guest during this interview is Kenya Gradnigo, a social worker and a member of the board for Project Sleep. Kenya shared information about being diagnosed with narcolepsy as a young child and some of the lessons she’s learned on how to manage life with narcolepsy.

Contact Project Sleep:

Kenya’s Instagram: @unapologetically_ken

Project Sleep Website: https://project-sleep.com

Navigating College Toolkit: https://bit.ly/narcolepsyschool

Connect with Us: https://linktr.ee/waterprairie

Support this channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/waterprairie

Music Used: “LazyDay” by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Episode #30: Narcolepsy and Sleep Disorders

Show Notes:

Our guest during this interview is Julie Flygare, the president and CEO of Project Sleep and host of the Project Sleep podcast. Julie shared information about narcolepsy and some of the exciting things that are happening through Project Sleep.

Some of the key information we discussed are the difference between type 1 narcolepsy and type 2 narcolepsy, cataplexy, current research for narcolepsy, and accommodations for students with narcolepsy.

Contact Project Sleep:

Website: https://project-sleep.com

Podcast: https://project-sleep.com/podcast/

Pediatric Narcolepsy Survey: https://project-sleep.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Pediatric-Narcolepsy-Boston.pdf

Julie’s Book, Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy: https://amzn.to/3wgE0H4

Genetic Marker for Narcolepsy: HLA-DBQ1*06:02More information on page 11: https://project-sleep.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Science-of-Narcolepsy-Toolkit.pdf

Connect with Us: https://linktr.ee/waterprairie

Support this channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/waterprairie

Music Used: “LazyDay” by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Episode #5: Misunderstood Invisible Disabilities

In this episode, Tonya continues her conversation from Episode #4 with our son, Christopher. He tells about being misunderstood by teachers and others because of the invisible disabilities he lives with.

If you have a child who is misunderstood, you’ll enjoy hearing Christopher speak about his experiences and how he was eventually diagnosed with dysgraphia, ADHD, and narcolepsy. He shares tips for parents and kids and the accommodations he’s used to help him succeed in school.

Christopher’s story isn’t over yet. In Episode #8, we’ll post the rest of his story about playing baseball in college and how he went through a difficult injury that almost put an end to his dreams of playing baseball. Make sure you subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss it!

Trailer: Welcome to the Water Prairie Chronicles Podcast!

Everyone has a story to tell, and I want to help share some of the stories of parents who are raising incredible children with life challenges. You’ll hear from adults who have made the journey of being a child with a disability and find out what they’ve learned along the way. You’ll hear interviews with organizations and specialists who can help guide parents as they look for support for their child and get connected in their community.

The Water Prairie Chronicles is a series of stories that will inspire you, encourage you, and help you view the people you meet from a new perspective. Episodes are posted every Friday at noon Eastern Standard Time. We’ll add some bonus episodes from time to time with behind-the-scenes and extra content. Episodes are about 30 minutes long, and you can find us at waterprairie.com/listen. Be sure to subscribe and tune in on Friday!

Music Used: “Your Intro” by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://audionautix.com/