Michelle Weger was a Dalhousie University student when she discovered symptoms that would ultimately lead to a diagnosis of narcolepsy.
With her service dog by her side on stage, Weger took home the first-place prize at Speaker Slam’s 9th Annual Grand Slam for her speech describing her experiences and how she has made her disability a strength.
“Receiving this honour means so much to me,” says Weger in an email to The Coast. “As someone living with narcolepsy, I know what it feels like to doubt your own potential. To now be recognized as the Inspirational Speaker of the Year for the story I once tried to hide is incredibly meaningful.”
Weger, from Toronto, came to Dalhousie as a science student from 2008 to 2011, and it was during this time that she started experiencing symptoms of narcolepsy. She would have sleep attacks during exams, on first dates, and even while looking through a microscope in the science lab once, resulting in two black eyes. Her diagnosis wouldn’t come until 5 years later.
“Please close your eyes and take a deep breath,” Weger says to the crowd who attended the Grand Slam on Nov. 22 in Toronto. “Think about the one thing you would never want the world to know. The secret you would do anything to protect.
“Open your eyes. Imagine standing on this very stage and telling everyone that secret.”
She describes her condition as charging a phone’s battery. Even though she can sleep through the night and recharge, Weger says she will never restore more than 40 percent of her energy.
“At any moment, that battery can drop to 5 percent, without warning,” she says during her talk.
Weger describes her diagnosis as two-fold: at once, she felt she finally had the answers she was looking for. She learned why she felt exhausted. On the other hand, she says it felt like a “life sentence”.
“Smile, nod,” says Weger. “Pretend you’re okay. Stay awake. Do not fall asleep.”
She tells the story of when people in her life found out about her condition. She was headed to a business event when a travel mix-up required her to bring her service dog, Quinn, with her. Weger braced herself for what she expected to be judgment and ridicule from people who may have been skeptical about whether or not she had a disability.
The only comment? “That’s a big boy,” shouted towards the dog.
“Everyone laughed, and that was it,” says Weger. It wouldn’t be until later that people would pull her aside and tell her they also struggled with invisible disabilities: chronic pain, epilepsy, trauma, and other diagnosable conditions that aren’t visible at a glance.
“My biggest fear, the thing that I thought would ruin my career, became the bridge that connected me to others,” says Weger.
Weger wasn’t supposed to be standing on stage that night. She had placed fourth at the Underdog speaking competition semifinals, which meant she was technically out of contention for the Grand Slam. Regardless, she reached out to the organizers and was invited to the Wild Card Race. With a community rallying behind her, she won and made it to the Grand Slam.
Along with the title of Inspirational Speaker of the Year, Weger also received a $3,000 cash prize and a prize package valued up to $50,000, which includes a book deal with Lucky Book Publishing. Weger is already an author, having written Don’t Snooze Your Dreams, which was released last year.
“My mission is to help people and organizations do extraordinary things in imperfect circumstances, and this award is a reminder of how powerful our stories can be when we share them with honesty and heart,” says Weger.
Weger is in Halifax from Dec. 4-10 for the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers conference. Registration is still open for fellow speakers who would like to attend.