Louisa Ball sleeps for two weeks at a time because she suffers from a rare disorder

She is known to her family and friends as Sleeping Beauty, but her life is no fairytale. Louisa Ball (15), sleeps for two weeks at a time, as she suffers from a rare disorder.

Nightmare: Louisa developed the syndrome after a bout of flu in October 2008

She misses school exams, dance lessons and even missed an entire week's holiday away with the family as she slept the whole way through. Louisa, who lives in Worthing, West Sussex, UK has been diagnosed with Kleine-Levin Syndrome, also known as Sleeping Beauty Disease, where sufferers can fall into deep sleeps that can last for weeks.

She first developed the disorder in October 2008 after recovering from a bout of flu. Her mother Lottie (45), said, "She had a dose of flu that lasted for about a week, but she never really recovered from it. She started to fall asleep at school and was rambling things that didn't make sense.

Louisa was referred to Worthing General Hospital in November that year and the paediatric consultant said that he didn't know what was wrong with Louisa. By then Louisa was sleeping for ten days at a time.

Her father Richard Ball, (44), said, "It was very hard to wake her, but we knew that we had to give her food."u00a0

Louisa was referred to St George's Hospital in Tooting last March where she was diagnosed with Kleine-Levin Syndrome. Doctors don't know what causes it, although it is thought it may be related to malfunction ofu00a0 a part of the brain that governs appetite and sleep.

It is more common in males than females and usually disappears in adulthood, and between sleep periods the sufferer recovers completely.