Katie Lancelle suffered with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for half her life, even after using a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. 

This later changed with Inspire® therapy, but the Green Bay, Wis., woman was diagnosed with OSA more than 15 years ago and couldn’t adjust to CPAP for much of that time. She also has Down syndrome. 

Sleep apnea tends to affect those with Down syndrome at a higher rate than those without because patients usually have smaller facial features. Lancelle had difficulty finding a CPAP mask that could fit her face. 

Lancelle’s mother Nancy was scared for her daughter, whose CPAP mask leaked at night. She stopped breathing around 25 times per hour, and her parents listened for these episodes, making sleep difficult for them as well. 

The frustration is what led Nancy to speak to her sleep doctor about sleep apnea alternatives, which led to Inspire therapy. Nancy researched it and helped her daughter get an appointment with an Inspire-trained doctor. 

Lancelle later tested and qualified for the Inspire implant procedure in November 2021, and the changes were evident following activation about a month later. She is now able to get a full night of restful sleep, and her snoring and sleep apnea events decreased. 

This was also a relief for Lancelle’s parents. Now, besides Katie getting better sleep, Lancelle’s parents sleep well every night without the fear of her not breathing at night. 

Lancelle will also remind them to help her turn Inspire on if they turn out the lights too soon. 

"My husband and I definitely get more sleep without staying up and listening for those events. It was harder at first because it was so quiet,” Nancy said.