Physician and writer Frances Southwick tells a deeply personal story about love and illness. Growing up queer in rural Colorado, Frances experiences mysterious episodes of sudden paralysis triggered by intense emotion, beginning in adolescence and persisting for decades without a diagnosis. After years of shame, misattribution, and near-abandonment of dreams, Frances falls in love with Judith, builds a life with her, and finally receives a diagnosis of type 1 narcolepsy with cataplexy—explaining why moments of beauty, joy, and love literally caused collapse.

Frances originally performed this story at Medicine Story: on the meanings of healing, a live storytelling event produced by Dr. Rebecca George from the Sierra Valley Health Center in Nevada City, CA in 2025. This event was generously funded by the California Health Care Foundation, as a part of our Satellites Program.

The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association and donations from listeners like you.

This episode of Stories from the World of Medicine is sponsored by The Physicians Foundation. and our friends at the podcast Unleashed: Redesigning Health Care.