Local teen stricken with real-life 'Sleeping Beauty' disease
Kleine-Levin syndrome forces 16 to 20 hours of sleep per day
Published  5:28 AM EDT Jul 19, 2013  Happy memories keep this
Stoneham, Mass., family going.  "He was very athletic. He had a
certain swagger about him," said Oscar Dirks of his 13-year-old
son, Connor, who just seven months ago was diagnosed with
Kleine-Levin syndrome, an extremely rare neurological disorder
that's plagued him for two years.  "He was such an integral part
of this family. He was who we were," said Erin Dirks, Connor’s
mother.  "I just miss my brother," said his sister Kayla.  Also
called Sleeping Beauty Syndrome, the disorder causes patients to
sleep an average of 16 to 20 hours every day, waking only to eat
and use the bathroom.  "This is quite a disabling disorder,"
said Dr. Mandeep Rana, a pediatric neurologist and sleep
specialist at Boston Medical Center. "It has a huge impact on
one's academics, social and work obligations."  There's no known
cause, no definitive t