The woman who falls into coma every time she says: 'I love you'

A devoted mother is battling a rare medical condition that puts her into a coma every time she tells her children: 'I love you.' Wendy Richmond, 53, slips into a 'waking sleep' that leaves her almost paralyzed every time she becomes emotional or wants to laugh or cry. But drugs to treat the condition are expensive and not funded by her local NHS trust, meaning she has to shut off her emotions to avoid collapsing.

Mrs Richmond, from Pitsmoor, Sheffield, has suffered from sleeprelated illnesses cataplexy and narcolepsy since her late teens but was diagnosed only in her 30s. Detailed figures on sufferers are rare because most cases go unrecognized or unreported. However, experts believe there could be up to 30,000 narcoleptics in Britain.