Doctors can't explain why Katelyn Thornley of Angleton, Texas, can't stop sneezing, but she and her family are hopeful they'll come up with a resolution soon.

The 12-year-old is being tortured by her body: She sneezes up to 12,000 times per day — or about 20 times per minute. She can’t eat or sleep, and has stopped going to school.

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Thornley has seen specialists, and she's taken different medications; nothing works. Some doctors think that the sneezing — which began after a clarinet lesson three weeks ago — is stress-related. According to KRIV, the only relief the preteen gets is when she gets Benadryl-induced sleep while listening to The Beatles.

“Sometimes I wish I could leave my body for a little while so I could watch myself sleep and be at peace because even in my dreams, I sneeze,” she said.

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Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (Cristiano Barbosa/AP)

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