The reality of developing a neurological condition at 13 is that your whole world vanishes in a matter of days. Imagine waking up one day and suddenly losing your ability to walk and talk. That is exactly what happened to me in 2016.
It started out of nowhere. My body simply stopped listening to my brain. I went from being a healthy teenager to being totally paralysed and nonverbal. For years I was a teen who was locked inside a body that had simply shut down. I became bedridden and felt trapped inside my own body.
Eventually, doctors diagnosed me with severe Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).
Living with FND as a teenager brings a very confusing reality. FND is like a software glitch in a computer. My brain and my body were physically healthy—the "hardware" was fine. But the signals traveling between them—the "software"—were completely scrambled.
Because it is a signaling problem, FND does not show up on normal MRI or CT brain scans. The frustrating reality of that means many people, and even some doctors, do not understand it. When you look completely fine on paper but your body refuses to move, it can make you feel invisible and doubted at a time when you need support the most. It’s been a long hard battle with FND, painful and very isolating. The emotional scars that the illness has left me with are still felt to this day. 
My recovery did not happen with a miracle pill. The reality was a grueling, slow process where progress was measured in millimetres.
I spent years working with specialists to slowly retrain my brain pathways. First, I had to fight to get my voice back. Next, I had to relearn how to sit up, and then how to use a wheelchair. It took an immense amount of patience, tears, and hard work. Today, I can stand independently and am still working on my walking, but it took a decade of fighting to get here.
I am sharing the real, unfiltered truth of my story because I know what it’s really like to develop a neurological condition as a teenager. If you are a young person dealing with a neurological condition right now, I want you to know the real facts:

• The fear is real, but so is the strength: You will find a strength inside you that you never knew existed.
• Your symptoms are real: Never let anyone make you feel bad because your illness doesn't show up on a standard test.
• Small steps are still steps: Recovery takes a long time, so celebrate every tiny victory, even just moving a finger was a massive win for me.

Developing a neurological condition at 13 changed my life forever, but it did not end it. At 13 I lost all my abilities and freedom to FND but 10 years on I’m now more determined than ever to not let my neurological condition hold me back from doing anything.

We at The NeuroKidz are proud to begin this blog page, highlighting student work, showcasing youth experiences within neurology and neuroscience, and sharing educational resources with students. Since 2018, we have harnessed the power of community to empower young students with STEM and mental health resources, enabling them to become knowledgeable, independent individuals.
If anyone would like to share their story, please email us at [email protected].