My name is Olivia and I was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder in April. I am going to attempt to run 10km on 4th October, beside my husband, to raise money for FND - Together We Rise, an organisation dedicated to helping people like me, come to terms with their diagnosis and work towards recovery and management.

The story starts with me walking out of the gym one Sunday morning. I collapsed around 3 times on the way back to my car because it felt like my legs just stopped working.

The following day, I knew something was wrong so I was taken to a&e, which was the start of an 8 day admission in Pinderfields hospital. I had blood tests, a CT and 2 MRIs which all came back normal and I was finally diagnosed with FND, something I had never heard of in my 7 years as a nurse in acute medical settings.

Five days after being discharged, I went on my honeymoon. My husband arranged airport assistance and hired a wheelchair because I had no idea what I was capable of. Yet somehow, I didn't need either. It felt like I was 'fixed'. Until I went back to the gym, which continues to be a significant trigger for my symptoms.

I knew that deep down, I was living in a dreamland, and coming home from our honeymoon would force me to face this condition head on and figure out what my life is going to look like now. So this is me, ready to face my diagnosis. I have started experimenting, pushing the boundaries, started planning on returning to work and figuring out my triggers and how to live my life with this absolutely insane neurological disorder that is showing up in some very wild and wonderful ways.

Despite FND affecting at least 50,000–100,000 people in the UK and being one of the most common reasons people see a neurologist, FND still remains really poorly understood and underfunded. I have turned to social media to find comfort, emotional support and inspiration and tiktok of all things has been incredible. I came across Chloe, the founder of Together We Rise and knew immediately I wasn’t alone on this journey and recovery is absolutely possible.

I have bought Chloe’s book, The Unbreakable Mind and have started my recovery journey feeling less alone, with a condition which is so isolating. For me, that has been huge. Watching Chloe on social media has made me feel brave enough to share my own story, proving to myself that I am brave enough to be authentically myself, even with this condition which is causing complete havoc to my self-perception. I am so proud to be doing it for the most incredible cause and the best resource I have found so far.

Yes, this is a fundraiser and literally ANY little helps, but I know times are hard right now. If you are unable to donate, please share this page, as an FND diagnosis is proving to be incredibly hard for me to come to terms with. If this raises awareness for available support out there for people with FND and makes them feel less alone, then this is so worth it.

Liv 2.0 is pending, and she is going to be better than ever. Love ya all x

https://www.tiktok.com/@chloemarie1992?_r=1&_t=ZN-96u7pMppZ5y

https://fndtogetherwerise.com/