Mom’s Knees Buckle When She Sees Someone ‘Attractive’ Due to Rare Brain Condition

A mother in England with a rare brain disorder can collapse if she sees someone she finds “attractive.”

Kirsty Brown, 32, was diagnosed with cataplexy, a condition associated with narcolepsy where any strong emotion can trigger sudden muscle paralysis, such as knees buckling.

“It’s so embarrassing,” she said, according to The Mirror. “I was out shopping once and I saw someone that looked alright, and my legs just went and I had to cling onto my cousin for support. If I see someone attractive, my legs just go so I try not to put myself in situations where that could happen, or I try to keep my eyes down for my own safety.”

Kirsty can suffer anywhere from five to 50 cataplexy attacks a day.

“It’s like a short circuit from the brain to the muscle is interrupted and I just lose control over my legs,” she explained. “I can have an attack at the top of a flight of stairs if they’re steep because I don’t like heights.”

“I haven’t had an attraction that strong recently that it would trigger an attack which on one hand is brilliant but also a bit sad because I’d like to feel that attracted to someone.”

Any loud noise can also affect the condition, according to the British resident.

“Anger and laughter trigger it and me and my sisters are either arguing or making each other laugh because they’re the funniest people I know.”

“I’m due to have physio on my back because I hurt it when I had an attack.”

Although the condition is genetic, Kristy believes an accident during her childhood caused the onset.

“Me and some friends were throwing stones into a tree to get conkers and one hit me on the head. I would have suffered with cataplexy eventually because of the gene anyway.”

The hardest part for Kristy is raising her children as a single mother.

“It has been a struggle because I brought my kids up on my own and it’s hard to find a job when you need to explain that you could collapse at any point.”