Lisa, who lives with her family in Adelaide, Australia, began experiencing bouts of extreme fatigue about 18 years ago, and remembers being nearly asleep at odd hours of the day. Having two young children at the time, she shrugged it off as being a normal part of motherhood.

When Lisa’s fatigue worsened, she visited her doctor’s office. Her general practitioner diagnosed her with chronic fatigue syndrome, but Lisa still felt something was off and decided to get bloodwork done.

After Lisa’s blood tests revealed an abnormally high white blood cell count, she was referred to an …