On February 22, 1876, a 14-year-old girl named Karolina Olsson went to bed in her home in Oknö, Sweden. She had been suffering from a toothache. The next morning, she was unresponsive and would not wake up again for 32 years.
Karolina was born on October 29, 1861. She was the second-oldest of six children and was the only sister. She did not begin attending school until the fall of 1875. One day, she came home from school feeling ill and unsettled.
Her family suspected that she might be affected by witchcraft or an evil spirit. She continued to complain of a toothache until she fell asleep. She then remained asleep for 32 years.
Her parents sought the help of many doctors and priests, but not one of them could explain Karolina’s condition. She did not respond to light, sound, or touch, yet her breathing and heart rate were steady. Her body also did not show signs of deterioration. Somehow, she was still alive.
In 1892, a doctor heard of Karolina’s strange condition and transferred her to a hospital to observe her. None of his treatments was effective.
The doctor diagnosed her with dementia paralytica, a severe neuropsychiatric disorder that is usually caused by late-stage syphilis. There was not much evidence to suggest that she actually had that illness. After a month, she was sent home.
For more than three decades, Karolina’s mother and brothers took care of her. They reportedly fed her sugar water, milk, and a thin porridge on occasion. When her mother died in 1908, Karolina was brought to a hospital in Oskarshamn.
A few days after being admitted to the hospital, she woke up at the age of 46. She seemed not to realize that so much time had passed and had no memory of her sickness in 1876.
Cars, telephones, and electric lights were all completely new to her. She could still read and write with the same schoolgirl handwriting from decades ago.
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To this day, it is unclear what exactly happened to Karolina, but of course, multiple theories have been proposed over the years. Some experts believe that Karolina may have suffered from an extreme form of catatonia, a state in which a person is unresponsive but still awake. It can be linked to trauma, schizophrenia, or neurological illness.
Others speculated that she had experienced psychogenic amnesia, which is triggered by psychological trauma. Rumors in the local village began to spread that Karolina had witnessed something terrible during her childhood that caused her to mentally shut down.
Or, maybe it was Klein-Levin syndrome, a type of narcolepsy that makes a person stay in a sleep-like trance for a long time. Individuals with this condition are basically unconscious but have just enough awareness for someone to help feed and clean them.
Some people can become fully conscious and then go right back to being unconscious.
After waking, Karolina was able to rejoin society and enjoy a peaceful life. She never married but managed to adjust to the modern world. She passed away in 1950 at the age of 88.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
