Harry Appleton sleep 18 hours per day. (iStock)
Harry Appleton sleeps for 18 hours a day and his slumber is so deep his parents are unable to wake him.
But the 13-year old is not lazy, he is suffering from a mystery condition that causes him to sleep for extended periods of time.
Harry, from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, has not been to school for 12 weeks because he is unable to wake up for majority of the day.
His parents, Jan and James, are becoming more and more concerned about their son’s health and say the situation his getting worse.
Jan, 40, said: “We even thought he had died when it first started happening.
“He is just completely lifeless. You can touch him or move him and he just does not wake up.
“We even had a GP come round and he was shining lights in his eyes, but still he would not wake up.
“He used a pain reflex technique which should have woke him but still nothing,
“It is almost like he is in some form of coma. You just don’t know what time he is going to wake up during the day. It is really damaging his life.”
Harry had always suffered from periods of sleeping for a long time, but 22-months ago the condition began to happen more regularly.
He sleepiness used to happen at particular times of the year and his parents were always able to wake him, but now they are forced to helplessly watch him sleep.
Doctors have diagnosed him with extreme episodic fatigue, or a feeling of severe tiredness, but Jan says they are still baffled by the fact he cannot be woken up.
His parents have tried shaking him and even shouting his name but Harry continues to sleep until his body wakes up naturally.
He has even been admitted into hospital because they were not able to wake him up.
Jan said: “It is awful to watch your son go through this.
“He has gone from a happy active boy who played football every three days to someone who is quiet and removed, a completely different person.
“He cannot go to school and is unable to hang around with his friends like a normal 13-year-old.”
The family have been forced to look for an after school tutor to help Harry keep up with his education.
But because he wakes up at random times, they have struggled to find anyone to help.
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