Mid-South teen Gabriella “Gabby” Gault knows the true meaning of not taking life lying down.
A recent graduate from St. Agnes Academy for Girls, Gault was diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia, a rare, chronic neurological sleep disorder that causes debilitating daytime sleepiness.
However, upon receiving her diagnosis, rather than be intimidated, the former cheerleader displayed the same fiery determination she did encouraging her school’s athletes on the sidelines.
“I was like, oh my gosh, this is so amazing because now I know there’s something wrong and I can get it fixed,” Gabby said.
Since her diagnosis, Gabby has been taking medication that has improved her quality of life dramatically, and her efforts have been recognized to the point that she was one of 31 students in the nation to receive the Jack and Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship from the nonprofit, Project Sleep.
Gabby has decided to use her scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where she intends to study kinesiology in hopes of becoming a physical therapist.
