In sad and painful words, a 21-year-old Saudi man addressed his loved ones and followers on Twitter: "Unfortunately, after suspicions of having Fatal Familial Insomnia, one of the rarest diseases in the world, I thank God I am at the first stage of the syndrome, which consists of four stages, ultimately leading to death. The syndrome will last between 7 to 42 months. Pray for my recovery; perhaps one of you is closer to God than I am."
In an interview with "Al-Arabiya.net," Saudi man Walid Al-Tamimi spoke about his illness, stating: "Insomnia is a very common disease, but it is different from fatal insomnia. This syndrome is hereditary, with its genes found in only 40 families worldwide. Fortunately, these families do not exist in the Middle East, and my case is the first of its kind, as I am the first non-hereditary patient and the youngest to have it."
He added, "The syndrome lasts 7-42 months and consists of four stages. The first stage is partial inability to sleep, lasting five months. The second involves hallucinations, fear, and panic, lasting two years and four months. The third stage is complete inability to sleep, lasting six months. The final advanced stage includes memory loss and the failure of some brain functions, lasting five months, which ultimately ends in death."
Al-Tamimi mentioned that doctors informed him there is no treatment for the syndrome, and everyone who has contracted it has gone through all stages of the disease. He said, "There had been doubts for five years about my having the syndrome, and my diagnosis was confirmed five days ago. I did not tell my mother about my illness, but I told her my treatment requires traveling to Switzerland, claiming it was a simple illness."
He expressed, "Sadly and with sorrow... from February onwards, until my last days, I will not be able to see the greatest person and the one I love most in my heart (my mother), as she will not be able to travel due to her health condition. About a year from now, I will start forgetting 70% of my memory, and my mind will stop functioning in some tasks, and I will spend the last three years of my life as a madman in the farthest part of the world."
Regarding how his family received the news of his illness, Al-Tamimi clarified, "Naturally, the news was a shock to my father and brother, as they were the only ones who understood the nature of my illness," adding, "Doctors explained to my father the nature of my illness and the stages I will go through, which caused my father to fall into shock and enter a coma for an entire day due to his inability to accept the news. For this reason, I chose to stay in a hospital for the rest of my life and insisted that my father take me to the hospital and return to Saudi Arabia after a week."
He continued, "In the first two days of knowing, it was normal, but then the situation changed. I will go to Zurich to protect my family from my actions because the disease causes delusions of grandeur and hallucinations, and Zurich has more than one hospital that deals with victims of Fatal Familial Insomnia."
He concluded, "My dream in life was to live with my family, even though my father wants me to stay with them. But the disease will start to make me act in ways that may harm them after a year. In the final stage of the illness, over six months, I will not be able to speak, think, or move, and then death will follow. Therefore, I wanted to spare them from witnessing the stages I will go through."
Who is Walid Al-Tamimi? The young man is in his final year at King Abdulaziz University, studying information technology with a specialization in software. As he expressed, "Ironically, I was recently in Zurich for volunteer work, and now I will return there to end my life."
He concluded his remarks by saying, "I believe in God's will and decree, and I ask everyone to pray for me. I come from a religious family and was raised to believe that everyone's life, reality, and what happens to them is written before they are created."
