MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries - Ep. 17 | The Curse of Veneto

Episode Date: January 30, 2024

In 1983, an Italian man finds himself completely unable to sleep, and when he looks in the mirror, his own eyes frighten him. A sense of doom washes over the man. He knows that within a year, he’ll be dead – because he’s just fallen prey to a centuries-old family curse.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey Prime members, you can binge episodes 49 to 56 right now and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the app today! In the summer of 1983, a middle-aged Italian man held his mother's hands as they swayed about on a dance floor. His mother was in her 90s and was not able to get out very much, so this was an extremely special occasion. And this particular dance floor was on a cruise ship sailing on the Mediterranean Sea. It was an unbelievable experience he knew they would never forget. Then a slow song came on and as they danced together, the man began to feel abnormally

hot. Sweat ran down his chest and underneath his tuxedo jacket, his hair stuck to his neck, and when he touched his forehead, his hand came away wet. He told his mother he'd be right back, and then he left the dance floor, took off his jacket, and walked to the cruise deck, hoping the ocean breeze would cool him down. But when he got up there, he didn't cool down, and instead he just kept on sweating until his dress shirt was completely drenched. The man finally just ran to a bathroom in one of the cruise ship's long hallways, and he ran right over to the sink, turned on the cold water, and splashed it on his face. But when he looked up at his reflection, he couldn't believe what

he was seeing. Not because of how much he was sweating, but because when he looked at his eyes, he could see his pupils had shrunk to two tiny pinpricks. Suddenly, he knew exactly what was wrong. He stared at his sweaty reflection and told himself he would go back out there on the dance floor and he would enjoy this night with his mother. He had to make every second count, because he was certain he'd be dead within a year. the untold origin stories of the products you're obsessed with. Listen to the best idea yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Now streaming. Welcome to Buy It Now, where aspiring entrepreneurs get 90 seconds to pitch to an audience of potential customers. If the audience liked the product, it gets them in front of our panel of experts, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Anderson, Tabitha Brown, Tony Hawk. Oh my God. Buy it now.

Stream free on Freeview and Prime Video. From Ballin Studios and Wondery, I'm Mr. Ballin, and this is Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries, where every week we will explore a new baffling mystery originating from the one place we all can't escape, our own bodies. If you like today's story, please take the follow button on a 70-hour cross-country road trip and insist on only listening to Christmas music the entire time. This episode is called The Curse of Veneto. On a spring evening in 1978, a 48-year-old man named Silvano walked through the doors of a grand Italian palazzo. Silvano was in this big, gorgeous house to celebrate someone's birthday,

though he wasn't exactly sure whose birthday it was. This wasn't unusual for Silvano. He came from one of the most prominent families in the Veneto region, so his calendar was often packed with all kinds of galas and parties and charity events, and he never passed up an opportunity to slick back his bright red hair and dress in his favorite tuxedo. As Silvano made his way to the bar, he noticed people looking at him and whispering to each other. He tried not to pay any mind to it. Everyone made his way to the bar, he noticed people looking at him and whispering to each other. He tried not to pay any mind to it.

Everyone in his family was the subject of gossip and rumors. It was something he'd grown up with his entire life. So Silvano ignored the chatter while he got his drink and then went to join some friends. While they talked, he caught the eye of a beautiful woman across the room. And instead of turning away or whispering to her friends, the woman smiled. Silvano smiled back. He'd always had a lot of success with dating, and he loved the bachelor lifestyle. So he excused himself from his friends and began walking in the woman's direction. But before he reached her, somebody grabbed his arm. Silvano turned to see who it was, and he saw it was his niece's husband,

Ignazio. And he was out of breath, his hair was a mess, and his clothes were totally disheveled. And he told Silvano that something was terribly wrong with Silvano's sister. Silvano kept a calm expression on his face, but inside he was panicking, because he knew exactly what was wrong with his sister. He told Ignacio to bring him to his sister right away and the two men hurried off out of the party. About half an hour later, Silvano was by his sister's bedside, and she was curled up in her pajamas totally drenched in sweat. Silvano bent down to ask how she was feeling and when she turned to look at him, her pupils were so small he could barely see them. She stared in his direction for a moment,

and then just shook her head. Tears slowly filled Silvano's eyes. He knew what that look meant. His sister had been struck by the family curse. A few months later, in early 1979, Silvano and the rest of his family stood at his sister's grave for her funeral. His mother gripped his arms, sobbing into his chest, while the priest performed the eulogy. Silvano was stricken with grief as well, but now his eyes were dry. He felt like he'd been mourning his sister ever since that night when he found out she was sick. He just didn't have any more tears to cry. He felt like he'd been mourning his sister ever since that night when he found out she was sick. He just didn't have any more tears to cry. He held tightly onto his mother, doing his best to offer her comfort. He whispered to her that there was nothing anyone could have done. After all, nobody survives the family curse. At this, Silvano's mother snapped her head up, glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes. She hissed at him to never speak of that again.

Otherwise, he, Silvano, could be struck by this curse that had just killed his sister and had killed his father, his grandfather, and countless other relatives dating all the way back to the 1700s. Silvano apologized and his mother nodded, and then she nestled her head back into his chest. Silvano spent the rest of the funeral in stoic silence. As his sister's casket was lowered into the ground, Silvano couldn't help picturing what his own funeral would look like when this curse inevitably killed him. After his sister died, Silvano threw himself completely into his work. He managed a very successful construction company and spent all his time organizing

projects and visiting job sites. One of his remaining living sisters, who lived with Silvano, had to constantly remind him to eat and drink, and then whenever he had a social event, she had to remind him to attend it. For the next few years, that was what Silvano's life was like, basically work 24-7. But by 1983, four years after his sister had died, Silvano was completely exhausted. He knew he needed a break. So that summer, he decided to surprise his mother with a cruise on the Mediterranean Sea. And it would turn out it would be just what he needed. The

warm air was invigorating, and every evening there was a new party for Silvano to attend. But on the last night of the cruise, disaster struck. Silvano was dancing with his mother when he suddenly felt overheated. He could feel his skin sticking to the shirt underneath his tuxedo jacket. His mother pulled away from him and asked if he was okay, and Silvano nodded and said he was fine, he just needed to go cool off for a minute. Silvano's pulse raced as he ran to the bathroom. He knew this was not just a simple case of overexerting himself, and when he looked into the mirror, his pinprick-sized pupils confirmed his worst fear. The family curse had indeed come for him too, and he was all too

familiar with what happened next. First, he would stop being able to sleep, his mind would begin to deteriorate, and he'd lose his grip on reality, and then shortly after that, he'd be dead. And there was nothing anyone could do about it. After the cruise was over, Silvano considered telling his mother and sister that he very likely had been afflicted by the family curse, but ultimately he decided against it. There was nothing they could do to stop this curse from killing him, and so he just didn't want them to worry. But it was very difficult for Silvano to hide his symptoms from his family, especially his sister who lived with him. He kept having to change clothes because he sweated through them so quickly, he rarely made eye contact with her because he didn't want her to see his pupils,

and at night when he laid in bed unable to sleep, he was too scared to get out of his bed and do anything because he was worried his sister would hear him walking around. About six months after the cruise, Silvano sat at his desk in his home office. He'd been avoiding going to work in person because he didn't want anyone to notice his illness. The clock read 3 p.m., but Silvano had already put in a long day because he had been up working since 4 o'clock that morning. Even though he'd been working for 11 hours straight, Silvano did not feel tired. He just felt hot. He grabbed a piece of paper off his desk and used it to fan himself.

Silvano knew the curse was only going to get worse, but there really wasn't anything he could do to stop it. So he figured, why worry about it? He didn't even call a doctor. He'd rather keep trying to live his life than cry over something he couldn't change. Just then, Silvano's sister rounded the corner into his office. He immediately dropped the paper, hoping she had not noticed him fanning himself, and she asked if he was going to take a break to eat. But he told her he was just too busy. She stood there, staring at him.

He could tell she didn't believe him. Finally, she sighed and left the room. For a second, Silvano thought about getting up and following her down the hall and letting her in on his declining health. But before he could, his phone rang, so he answered it. It was his niece's husband, Ignazio. He asked Silvano if he'd come over for dinner that evening. Silvano didn't have any other plans, so he said sure. Silvano hung up the phone and pushed the stack of papers aside and then stood up. He'd already sweat through all of his clothes, so he'd need to shower and change. He quietly opened his office door and tiptoed to his bedroom, being

extra careful not to make any noise in fear that his sister might come find him and see his drenched clothing. Silvano hated having to sneak through the house, but he didn't know what else to do. He promised himself that he would tell his sister what was going on as soon as he could find the right words. That evening, Silvano arrived at Ignacio and his niece Elisabetta's house with his red hair neatly brushed and a pocket square tucked into a suit. Silvano shook Ignacio's hand and gave Elizabetta a hug. He kept a smile on his face, but as he did, he worried they would see how sweaty he already was. As they led him down the hallway to the kitchen, Silvano caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, and he looked terrible. He'd done everything he could to clean

up, but there was just no hiding the sweat on his brow or the dark circles under his eyes or his tiny, tiny pupils. Silvano looked away from his reflection and took a seat at the table. Ignazio filled three glasses with red wine and Elisabetta brought a large dinner salad to the table. Silvano had barely taken one bite before Ignazio made him wish he had not come over at all. Ignazio asked Silvano how he'd been sleeping. Silvano knew exactly what that meant. Either he had not hidden his symptoms well enough, or maybe his sister, who lived with him, maybe she noticed the curse was creeping up on him and told the family.

Silvano sipped his wine and admitted he had not been sleeping much. But it was okay. He was using the extra time to get more work done. The only thing that bothered him was that his sex drive had disappeared. He said that to be funny, but Ignacio and Elisabetta did not laugh. Ignacio's expression was grave. He said he'd gotten access to the local parish records, which contained information about the family going back to the 18th century. He discovered that throughout the generations, Silvano's ancestors had frequently died young, and the record said they died from all kinds of strange disorders and diseases, things like epilepsy, fever, meningitis, dementia, various

brain diseases, and schizophrenia. As for the death of Silvano's sister, that had been attributed to familial encephalitis, which is a type of brain disease. But Ignacio said he didn't think any of those things were actually the thing that killed them. He was certain they had all died from the family curse. But of course, family curse would not be an acceptable cause of death. Even in the 1700s, they would not put that down as the thing that killed someone. Ignacio believed the real disease that was wiping out members of this family was some kind of rare genetic condition originating in the brain, one that nobody had ever been able to identify. He begged Silvano to please seek help from a neurologist before it was too late.

Silvano leaned back and crossed his arms. He felt betrayed, like this dinner had been a setup just to ambush him. He told Ignacio he didn't want help. He'd seen his sisters poked and prodded by doctors before invariably they still just passed away. Going to a neurologist would only cause more pain and more frustration. But Ignacio would not take no for an answer. He said he knew a neurologist in a nearby town, it'd be a quick visit, and if nothing else, the doctor might be able to prescribe something that could help Silvano sleep even a little bit. Silvano shrugged and then finished his wine in a single gulp, and then he said,

okay fine, I'll go, but only if you don't ask me to do anything else after this." A few days later, Silvano sat in the passenger seat of Ignazio's car as they drove on the thin roads of the Veneto region, passing by fields of grazing cattle, intricate gothic buildings, and canals full of clear water. The view was beautiful, but Silvano was too anxious to enjoy it. He did not believe this neurologist was going to be able to help him, but there was still a part of him deep down that did hope he could be cured. They pulled up to the neurologist's office, parked, and walked inside. While they checked in with the receptionist, Silvano felt like he was being watched by the other patients in the waiting room. As usual, Silvano felt like he was being watched by the other patients in the waiting room. As usual, Silvano tried to ignore their curious looks, but now it was harder for him to do.

His family's curse and the trail of early deaths left behind was an open secret within this community. He could sense them evaluating him to see if he might be suffering from this curse too. After a few uncomfortable minutes in the waiting area, Silvano and Ignacio were called back to an exam room. A young neurologist came in and Silvano explained his symptoms. Unusual sweating, tiny pupils, low sex drive, and difficulty sleeping. Silvano was on edge as he watched the neurologist think. The doctor said he wasn't sure what to make of the sweating and the size of Silvano's pupils, but the lack of sleep could be a result of anxiety or depression. The neurologist prescribed Silvano a sedative. He said it might not cure him, but it should help him rest.

Just like that, Silvano's hope dissolved. He'd known this appointment would be useless. Feeling disappointed, he stood up and thanked the doctor. Then he and Ignacio left the office and headed home. Dracula, the ancient vampire who terrorizes Victorian London. Blood and garlic, bats and crucifixes, even if you haven't read the book, you think you know the story. One of the incredible things about Dracula is that not only is it this wonderful snapshot of the 19th century, but it also has so much resonance today. The vampire doesn't cast a reflection in a mirror. So when we look in the mirror,

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Incoming is a hilariously thrilling podcast that will leave you wondering, how would you spend your last few minutes on Earth? You can binge Incoming exclusively in ad-free and Wondery+. Join Wondery+, in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. The next evening, Ignacio was in his bed with his wife when his phone rang. He pushed the covers back and walked to the receiver, and when he picked it up, he heard Silvano's sister's frantic voice on the other end. She told Ignacio to come over quickly, then the line went dead.

Ignacio figured this must have something to do with Silvano and the family curse, so he rushed to his car and sped over to his uncle-in-law's house. When he got there, he flung open the door and raced inside. Silvano's sister was right inside the house in the entryway, and her eyes were wide as she watched her brother, Silvano, who was right across from her at the base of the stairs. Silvano wore black silk pajamas that were totally drenched in sweat, and he was hunched over slightly, moving his arms like he was trying to pick up objects and move

them, except his hands were empty. It was like he wasn't even aware of what he was doing, or aware of anyone else in the room. Silvano's sister whispered to Ignacio that she'd heard a commotion in Silvano's room, and when she went to investigate, she saw Silvano sitting up in bed doing this weird military-style salute, and then without a word, he'd just gotten up, walked right past her, and marched down the stairs. And so Silvano's sister had no idea what was happening or what to do. Ignacio reassured her that probably Silvano was just sleepwalking and so was not in any sort of danger. Then Ignacio walked over to his uncle-in-law and he kind of shook his shoulder, at which point Silvano woke

up, acted very confused, and then said he'd been dreaming about packing a suitcase. Ignacio glanced from Silvano to Silvano's sister and then he told both of them that, you know, it seems like the sedative Silvano is taking is probably leading to sleepwalking. And so because sleepwalking can be quite hazardous, it's probably best that Silvano stop taking the sedative. Ignacio was naturally very worried about Silvano. Even though the first neurologist really had not worked out at all, Ignacio felt even more determined to find someone

who could maybe help Silvano get better. But while Ignacio looked for another doctor, Silvano's symptoms just got worse and worse. He had not been sleeping well for months and the exhaustion was totally getting to him. In March of 1984, so about a month after the sleepwalking episode, Silvano tried to go into the office to work. He wore cool, comfortable clothing and acted like everything was perfectly normal. But when one of his employees asked him a very simple question, it was like Silvano's brain couldn't process it, and so he literally couldn't answer. And then later, when Silvano tried to just write his name on a document, his hands were so shaky that his signature looked totally wrong.

And a few times he tried to speak to his colleagues and the words came out slurred and totally incoherent. Silvano knew he could not continue to work like this. As much as he wanted to cling to his normal life, he knew his normal life was over. So he walked into his boss's office and quit his job. As he packed up his belongings, Silvano had to face the facts. He was over. So he walked into his boss's office and quit his job. As he packed up his belongings, Silvano had to face the facts. He was dying. It was heartbreaking and infuriating to know that he would succumb to the same illness that had been killing his family for centuries.

But Silvano had changed his mind about one thing. He knew he was going to die, but he didn't just want to wait for death. Instead, he wanted to do everything he could to try to learn about his illness and so that maybe he could prevent other family members from getting this family curse. Silvano hated the idea of seeing another doctor, but now he needed one. He went home that afternoon and called Ignacio, and to Silvano's relief, Ignacio said he'd actually already found the perfect neurologist. The next morning, a renowned sleep expert named Dr. Elio Lugarezzi welcomed Ignacio and Silvano to the University of Bologna's Neurological Institute in the bustling city of Bologna, Italy. Dr. Lugaresi

greeted Ignacio and then went to shake Silvano's hand, but Silvano for a second just stood there staring blankly like he didn't understand what was going on, and then suddenly he kind of snapped out of it and reached out and shook the doctor's hand. After that, Dr. Lugaresi led the men down a long decorated hallway into his office. The doctor sat at a large, organized desk and motioned for Ignazio and Silvano to take the seats across from him. Then, once they were seated, he asked Silvano what was going on. In an eerily calm and quiet voice, Silvano said he was going to die, and he knew exactly how it was going to happen. Currently, he said he was having trouble sleeping,

but he was still getting maybe two or three hours of rest every night. But eventually, he knew he would stop sleeping altogether, and then he would develop hallucinations, and then eventually, the exhaustion would kill him. Ignacio leaned forward and explained that Silvano's illness actually ran in his family. Two of Silvano's sisters had died from this condition, so had his father, grandfather, and various ancestors going back more than two centuries. Dr. Lugaresi eyed Silvano carefully. He'd been studying sleep for over 20 years,

and he'd never heard of any condition like this. But Dr. Lugaresi was very confident in his abilities as a sleep specialist, and so he assured Silvano they could find a treatment. But Silvano just shook his head and said there really was no treatment. However, even though he knew he was doomed, he wanted to try to help his family as best as he could. And so he asked Dr. Lugaresi to please study him until he died, and then after he died, take his brain and study it and try to figure out what this curse really is. Dr. Lugaresi stared at Silvano and then glanced over at Ignacio, who looked just as desperate as Silvano, and then the neurologist just nodded. He told Silvano to go home, pack up everything he needed to live at the Neurological Institute, and then come back that evening.

And then, after Silvano and Ignacio left, Dr. Lugaresi and his team set up the laboratory observation room where Silvano would live. The room was small and nondescript and had a bed in one corner and a video camera in the other. The video camera would allow doctors to record Silvano's every move. Hopefully, this would allow them to figure out what Silvano's illness really was, and who knows, maybe they might even be able to cure him. Silvano returned that evening wearing his black silk pajamas and carrying a suitcase that contained clothes and toiletries. As he stared at the building in front of him, he realized this was

the place he was almost certainly going to die. Dr. Lugaresi met Silvano at the door and led him back to the observation room where he'd be staying. Silvano sat at the edge of the bed while a team of neurologists hooked him up to all kinds of monitors. A sensor around his arm measured his blood pressure. A thin band on his other arm kept track of his body temperature. A piece of plastic clamped onto his finger counted his pulse. Lastly, Dr. Lugaresi pulled out this sort of tight, stretchy hat and told Silvano to put it on.

It looked kind of like a swim cap, except it was covered in small black circular sensors and cords. Silvano pulled it on, and two flaps of fabric hung down on either side of his face. As Dr. Lugaresi velcroed the fabric together beneath Silvano's chin, he explained that Silvano's chin, he explained that Silvano was wearing an electrode sensor cap. It was there to track and record electrical signals in Silvano's brain, which would hopefully give Dr. Lugaresi some insight into why he couldn't sleep. Silvano figured he looked absolutely ridiculous, but now was not the time to be concerned with his appearance. He was doing this to help his family. Dr. Lugaresi told Silvano he would be constantly watching him and monitoring his vital signs.

Then he turned and left and Silvano was all alone in his new bedroom. Silvano laid down and closed his eyes. The oxygen monitor dug into his finger and the electrode sensor cap pressed into the back of his head. He couldn't get comfortable, especially when he knew a camera was watching him. But it didn't really matter. Whether Silvano was here or at home, he didn't think he was going to get any sleep. So he laid on the bed and stared up at the tile ceiling.

But the longer he looked, the fuzzier his vision got. And then the seemingly random patterns on the ceiling tiles started to morph and shift into shapes and faces. Silvano knew he was hallucinating, which came with the family curse, but he couldn't do anything about it, so he decided he would just enjoy the show. From outside the room, Dr. Lugaresi watched a screen that showed data from Silvano's monitors. On the screen, a series of lines spiked, dipped, and flattened out depending on the electrical signals in Silvano's brain. Dr. Lugaresi watched the screen, getting more and more confused. The data from Silvano's brain did not look like anything he had ever seen

before. People typically had one electrical pattern when they were awake and another quite different pattern when they were sleeping. But Silvano's results didn't match either of them. He was in some kind of in-between state, not awake, but not asleep. Dr. Lugaresi watched through the window as Silvano moved his arms up and down over his head. It looked like he was going through the motions of combing his hair, except his hands were empty and his head was totally covered in wires. Whatever was going on, it was not typical sleepwalking. Silvano would eventually fall asleep, but only for an hour. When he woke up, Dr. Lugaresi checked his various monitors. Silvano's body temperature was abnormally high, his breathing was irregular, and his heart rate was erratic. Dr. Lugaresi glanced at his colleagues,

they looked just as confused as he felt. Dr. Lugaresi didn't know what any of these symptoms meant or how they might be related. He realized that solving this mystery might be a lot harder than he'd anticipated. One morning, about a month into his stay at the Neurological Institute, Silvano sat upright in bed, staring into space. Over the past few weeks, his mind had begun to deteriorate. He spent almost all of his time in that in-between state where he wasn't quite sleeping or quite awake. Without regular sleep, every day kind of bled into the next one, and so Silvano lost track of time. He would look around the hospital room to try to ground himself to figure out what was going on, but he couldn't get his eyes to focus. Sometimes, Silvano was

vaguely aware of Dr. Lugaresi asking him some questions, but the doctor's voice sounded garbled and far away. That morning, as he sat awake staring at nothing, Silvano actually started to feel tired. And just as he thought he was finally going to get a little bit of sleep, his head just jerked right back up. And then he felt tired and so he started to drift off, but then again, his head snapped back up. It was like his body was actively rejecting sleep. Frustrated, Silvano pushed himself out of bed with his weak shaky arms and then he just began shuffling around the room with no idea where he was trying to go or what he was trying to do. It took all of his strength to put one foot in

front of the other but it was better than trying to sleep unsuccessfully. As Dr. Lugaresi watched Silvano pace around in his room, the doctor decided he had to do something to help. He went into the room and gently led Silvano back over to his bed, and then once he was sitting down, he injected him with the sedative. And as soon as he did, Silvano's pulse and blood pressure plummeted. He almost stopped breathing. Dr. Lugaresi's stomach dropped. The sedatives had sent Silvano into a coma. Panicked, he administered more medications to undo the effect of the sedative, and these medications did bring Silvano into a coma. Panicked, he administered more medications to undo the effect of the sedative, and these medications did bring Silvano out of the coma and put him back into that kind

of trance-like state he was in. Dr. Lugaresi didn't know what to do. Silvano had always told him that there was no cure for this family curse, but Dr. Lugaresi had really wanted to prove him wrong. But now, after a month of monitoring Silvano, the doctor still could not give him a proper diagnosis, let alone help him get better. Dr. Lugaresi was really starting to feel helpless. Another month later, Dr. Lugaresi sat next to Silvano's bedside. Silvano was practically comatose, a totally blank expression on his face,

until out of nowhere, he wrapped his arms around his legs and started screaming as loud as he could. To Dr. Lugaresi, it was like all of Silvano's pent-up pain and frustration was now finally just coming out. The worst part was, this seemed to be the last bit of energy left in Silvano. Over the next few weeks, Dr. Lugaresi watched as Silvano became less and less aware of the world around him. He quit eating, he quit moving, and so Dr. Lugaresi knew Silvano was dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Silvano passed away in the laboratory observation room. Just as he'd predicted, he died nine months after that night on the cruise ship when he first noticed symptoms of the family curse developing.

Dr. Lugaresi kept the promise he'd made to Silvano. Immediately after he died, a pathologist removed Silvano's brain, and it was shipped to a neurological specialist in America, and what that specialist discovered in Silvano's brain shocked Dr. Lugaresi. The thalamus is a small walnut-shaped structure located near the center of the brain. It helps us process sensory information and plays a vital role in consciousness and maintaining our regular sleeping and waking cycles. And Silvano's thalamus was full of holes. It literally looked like worms had just bored right through it. Large portions of his thalamus had just been totally destroyed. Dr. Lugaresi had never seen anything like this before. In fact, this was a new disease,

and it would be named fatal familial insomnia. In 1986, Dr. Lugaresi published his findings, detailing Silvano's illness and introducing his family's curse to the scientific community. Based on further research with Silvano's relatives, Dr. Lugaresi eventually determined fatal familial insomnia is caused by malfunctioning proteins which attack the thalamus. As the thalamus is destroyed, the brain loses the ability to regulate the body and the mind. This leads to total insomnia, like literally they cannot sleep anymore, which eventually causes death. The chances of the average person developing fatal insomnia are about 1 in a million, but in Silvano's family, where the disease had been passed down genetically through generations,

the chances were 1 in 2. In 1986, Silvano and his relatives were the only known people suffering from fatal familial insomnia in the world. In the years since, researchers have found about 50 other families with the same disorder. There are currently no effective treatments for fatal familial insomnia. It's a death sentence. But doctors do still continue to research the disease in hopes of someday finding a cure. To be continued... note about our stories, we use aliases sometimes because we don't know the names of the real people in the story. And also, in most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but everything is based on a lot of research. And a reminder, the content in this episode is not intended to be a

substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This episode was written by Karis Allen Posh Cooper. Our editor is Heather Dundas. Sound design is by Andre Pluss. Coordinating producer is Sophia Martins. Our senior producer is Alex Benidon. Our associate producers and researchers are Sarah Vytak and Tasia Palaconda. Script editing is by Scott Allen and Evan Allen. Our coordinating producer is Matub Zare. Executive producers are myself, Mr. Ballin, and Nick Witters. For Wondery, our head of sound is Marcelino Villapando. Senior producers are Laura Donna Palavoda and Dave Schilling. Senior managing producer is Ryan Lohr. Our executive producers are Aaron O'Flaherty and Marshall Louis for Wondery. quite like the story of Sarah King. She conned people out of $10 million. But infamy comes with a price.

If we don't have our money by tomorrow morning, you will be gutted like a fish in Newport Harbor. Lady Mafia, available now on The Binge. Search for Lady Mafia wherever you get your podcasts to start listening today.