Two tragic siblings have been infected with a rare disease that will deny them sleep in an acute plague of insomnia.
Hayley Webb and her brother Lachlan
A news reporter and her brother have inherited a debilitating brain disease which will stop them from ever sleeping again - and eventually kill them.
Hayley Webb, 30, and her brother Lachlan, 28, suffer from Fatal Familial Insomnia, a harrowing condition which so far has no cure.
The extremely rare disease affects one in 10 million people worldwide, and the siblings have no idea when it will strike.
Tragically, the disorder has already killed their mother and grandmother, but now, they are undergoing tests to try and find a cure before the disease manifests itself.
They will take part in a pioneering study at the University of California led by US couple Eric Minikel and Sonia Vallabah.
The brother and sister, from Queensland, Australia, are hoping that the disease - which has killed their aunt and uncle too - will finally be cured.
FFI causes irregular clumps of protein to damage nerve cells and make holes in the part of the brain that regulates sleep.
Hayley said: "It could happen tomorrow but until we're in that danger zone we probably have a good 10 years up our sleeve and I am praying that there is a cure between now and then.
"I don't want to sit here while the sands through the hour glass pass waiting for it to trigger and for me to cark it.
"I want information, I want answers and I want a bloody cure."