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Dare to dream: living a full life despite a debilitating illness
Before my illness, I was happy and healthy. I started to feel unwell in 2016 when I was 13 years old. My cognitive skills deteriorated, my physical health deteriorated, and I needed support to walk. I became incontinent, and soon I had all my abilities taken away from me
I had to leave school as it wasn’t safe for me due to my sudden deterioration. Within a few days, I lost my ability to walk and talk. I was rushed to the hospital for testing, where I spent four months on a children’s neurological ward. The doctors were baffled by my mystery illness and filmed my case for medical research for universities around the world. They said I had an unknown disorder
I struggle to remember the early days of my illness, and life before it is a blur. While in the hospital, I had many visitors and get-well-soon cards. At times, my illness was mislabelled as other conditions, such as autism and various psychological disorders.
The doctors thought I might have MND (Motor Neurone Disease). I had many scans, tests and medical procedures, but everything came back normal. After months of unanswered questions, I was finally given a diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder, also known as FND. A few weeks after my diagnosis, I was discharged as there was no cure and nothing more could be done.
Once I left the hospital, I was given a wheelchair, hospital bed, toilet chair, hoist, posture chair, hand splints and other types of equipment. At least 20 professionals from across services were involved in my care.
