A Poem for People with Narcolepsy by Arnaldo Hernandez

Meet the Poet:

“My name is Arnaldo Hernandez, and I live with my girlfriend of almost three years, Camille Cruz.  We are both from Puerto Rico and just moved to Pennsylvania. She was diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy in 2018. Project Sleep has been there for her and we’ve both learned a lot thanks to them.”

About the Poem:

“This is for everyone with narcolepsy who struggles to be understood by their friends and loved ones. I wrote this piece inspired by my girlfriend, Camille Cruz, who every day takes it upon herself to do her best as a student of Art Therapy and as a trained advocate with Rising Voices of Narcolepsy. She is a beautiful voice spreading knowledge about living with narcolepsy.”

Struggles – by Arnaldo Hernandez

I see you every day
Trying your best to get by
Slaving away just to be understood

Fighting the invisible war that others ignore
You write and read, you educate and teach
You do your best to let everyone know what I know

That you’re a warrior, fighting tirelessly while being tired. A rising voice of Narcolepsy

Don’t give up, this war will one day end. Don’t give up, you will succeed, you will achieve your dreams and you will outshine the stars.

And one day you’ll be able to rest knowing the world is a bit better thanks to you.

My world will be a lot better thanks to you.

And others will look up to you and tell their loved ones, “this is it, this is what I feel.”

Thank you, Arnaldo for sharing your powerful poetry and supporting Camille. Read more about Camille’s story via her article, Painting My Future with Narcolepsy. Stay tuned – more poems coming soon!