She wouldnt wake up until three decades later, or so the story goes.
Karolina was born on 29 October 1861, the second-eldest of six children.
Her siblings were all brothers.
Karolina’s mother appears to have managed the household and children exceptionally well.
Karolina didn’t begin attending school until the late autumn of 1875 when she was already 14 years old.
Her family suspected that she might be afflicted by witchcraft or under the malevolent influence of an evil spirit.
Her mother instructed her to go to bed.
Karolina continued to complain of toothache, but had no other symptoms.
However, when she fell asleep, she did not wake up.
A 17th century painting of a sleeping girl by an unknown painter.
Karolinas father was a poor fisherman and was unable to afford a doctor.
Instead, the towns midwife advised the family.
Karolinas mother took great care of her unresponsive daughter, force-feeding her two glasses of milk every day.
The doctor declared her ‘hysterical’ and the diagnosis at discharge was dementia paralytica.
Dementia paralytica is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder that is resulting from late-stage syphilis.
However, there is little to suggest that she actually suffered from that illness.
After spending one month at the infirmary, Karolina was sent back to her home.
During her illness, Karolina was not examined by a trained psychiatrist.
She then crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over her head.
Karolina’s sole caregiver was her mother.
The family members were under the impression that Karolina consumed only two glasses of milk daily.
However, the housekeeper occasionally noticed that certain objects in the room changed positions when she was outside.
When her mother died in 1905, Karolina began to cry.
These crying episodes persisted for several days, yet her overall condition showed no improvement.
However, Karolina’s health deteriorated, and she became confined to her bed, becoming increasingly emaciated.
The only photograph of Karolina Olsson taken 11 days after she woke up.
One dayApril 3, 1908the housekeeper came in and found Karolina on all fours on the floor, crying.
When she was sternly ordered to bed, she asked: ‘Where’s mother?’.
When the brothers came home, she did not recognize them.
‘It’s not my brothers, because they were so small,’ she added.
Karolina appeared severely undernourished and had a pallor reminiscent of someone who had suffered from starvation.
Surprisingly, despite her condition, she displayed a hearty appetite and consumed her meals with enthusiasm.
Karolina could remember her school days and church visits, and she even started participating in the household chores.
However, she did not ask any questions about the past or what happened during the illness.
Nor did she ask about the mother’s death.
Froderstrom found Karolina to be above average intelligence.
Instead, he speculated that Karolina had undergone a form of psychosis triggered by a traumatic event.
This caregiver operated in secret, unbeknownst to the others.
After her awakening, Karolina went to lead a fairly healthy life, just like Ellen.
She died in 1950 aged 88 from an intracranial hemorrhage.
References:#Soverskan pa Okno
