Living With Wolfram Syndrome – Lauren Gibilisco

I mentioned last week about feeling like a prisoner in my own home. Let me explain it a little further.

This is what it is like for me day to day in my own home. During the summer in Nebraska it is very warm here. I cannot be outside long if it is above 70 degrees. So in the summer I am pretty much stuck in the house. But the same thing goes inside the house. I need the temperature to be no higher than 65 degrees in the house. This is what is comfortable for me but it freezes my Mom and Dad. I also feel bad because it makes our air conditioning bill so high. Any hotter and I have trouble sleeping and exercising. I love to exercise but I can only do it a little at a time because I get so overheated. So, when I am home I either just exercise or watch TV. I only watch what I have seen before because I know what they are saying and doing. But, unfortunately it becomes a little boring watching the same shows over and over again.

Last week I was able to leave the house and go to an outside wedding. There was a nice breeze and it was a little above 70. I was able to enjoy the wedding because I was just standing there. I could only stay for about an hour though because I began to get overheated.

The winter time is a little better for me. I am able to exercise more and go outside to chill out if I become too overheated. It used to be that it was hard going outside if there was snow on the ground. Everything was white and I couldn’t see where anything was, like the sidewalk or street. Now my vision has gotten so much worse so it doesn’t really matter anymore.

I do not say these things for pity or to depress anyone. These are just the cold hard facts of living daily with Wolfram Syndrome. So that is why I sometimes feel like a prisoner in my own house. But I wouldn’t change anything. This is who I am and I love being who I am. So if you ever see anyone outside in the winter wearing only a T­-shirt and shorts, don’t worry it’s just me.