This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

And we continue with our American stories.

And up next, we're going to hear from Donna Howard tell the story of her

daughter Cassie, who as a teenager, was met with a diagnosis that changed her life. You'll find out

where that diagnosis has led Donna to today, to a place where she can help, not only her daughter

Cassie, but others under similar circumstances and all while shedding

light on an illness that had kept them in the dark for so many years. I was director of

radiology at a hospital here in Mississippi for many, many years. I moved to Arkansas, got

married, had three children. And in 1990, Cassie became ill on her 14th birthday.

It was a Sunday afternoon. I remember it very well.

She came in the kitchen that day and said,

The new kids on the blocker singing happy birthday to me through the air conditioner.

And that was an aha moment.

I began to think back,

and she had been telling me things,

and I had not paid attention.

I say this, and I don't think people really understand when I say,

she didn't sleep until she was five years old.

And I think now, was she hearing the voices voices and that was normal to her, but there were many, many nights we didn't sleep. So I called

the pediatrician and I said, we need to talk to you. And so we met him at the emergency room and

after about an hour of him and her talking, he came out and he said,

...