It ’s unblushing self - promotion time!I’ve been play on a report for my favored tuner show , This American Life , for the retiring few calendar month . That story air ontonight ’s TAL episode(“Held Hostage , " Friday , June 4 ) on WBEZ in Chicago , and then on public radio stations around the country – check your local itemization . A free MP3 and podcast will also be usable pop Sunday , for those outside the US or without a radio . I ’m very pleased to be on the show , and working with the TAL team has been just what you would expect : awesome and kind of surrealistic . When you spill on the earphone with people whose voice and name you recognize from 15 years of radio show – it ’s like going through the looking glass .
So What’s the Story?
Imagine if , every time you became very felicitous or soppy – like every metre you laugh , or held your better half ’s deal – you suffered a temporary paralysis lasting seconds , minutes , or even hours ? That ’s the case for Matt , and more than a million others who sustain from narcolepsy with cataplexy . Narcolepsy is something many people have get word of – it ask " inappropriate daytime sleepiness " and falling gone at inopportune times . Cataplexy is a related to condition that causes patients to misplace motor control when an emotional trigger occurs . ( The most vulgar trigger is strong positive emotions . ) By " lose motor ascendence , " I mean – for people with dangerous cases like Matt ’s – full collapse , although he ’s still awake inside a body he ca n’t control .
Tonight ’s news report is part of the TAL episode " Held Hostage , " and it ’s about how Matt ’s disease has involve his liveliness , and how he manages to cope with it . Matt ’s wife Trish also make water an appearance , and it ’s recount by yours really .
