Paralysed at 13: Liam Virgo’s Remarkable Journey Through Severe FND (Ελληνικά)

Paralyzed at 13. How Liam Virgo reclaimed his voice and his life after severe FND. At 13 years old, Liam Virgo lost the ability to walk and speak. His symptoms had begun at around the age of 12. Previously happy, healthy and active, Liam enjoyed swimming, cycling and participating in sports. Then his cognitive abilities began to deteriorate. He developed coordination difficulties, needed support to walk and struggled to understand what was happening around him. His condition deteriorated so rapidly that he had to leave school because it was no longer considered safe for him to remain there. Within days, Liam could no longer walk or talk. In 2016, Liam was admitted to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he spent approximately four months on a specialist children's neurological ward. He underwent numerous scans, examinations and medical procedures, but the results repeatedly came back normal. Around 20 professionals from different services and specialities were involved in Liam's care and assessment. They included neurologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals. Different explanations were considered before a diagnosis was reached. Liam was also diagnosed with catatonia and experienced dystonia, which affected his muscles, movement and posture. Doctors were sufficiently baffled by his symptoms that his case was filmed for medical research so it could be studied by universities around the world. For a 13-year-old and his family, the experience was overwhelming. Liam underwent one assessment after another, while those closest to him waited for an explanation and some indication of what his future might hold. Eventually, Liam was diagnosed with Severe Functional Neurological Disorder, commonly known as FND. Functional Neurological Disorder is a genuine neurological condition affecting how the brain sends and receives signals to and from the body. It can affect movement, speech, sensation, cognition and awareness. Even though conventional structural scans may appear normal, its symptoms are involuntary. They are not imagined, consciously produced or something a person can simply decide to overcome. FND affects people differently. Some experience relatively moderate symptoms, while others may lose their mobility, speech and independence. For Liam, the consequences were devastating. For around six months, Liam says his mind felt blank. His memories of that period are limited largely to faces and bright lights. As his awareness gradually returned, he began to understand what was happening, but he still could not control his body. Liam remained unable to speak for approximately a year. Although he had thoughts, he could not express them verbally. He described the words as feeling trapped inside his mind. With help from speech and language therapists, his family and other professionals, Liam gradually recovered his speech. His mobility took considerably longer to return. He could not walk for approximately five years and spent three years bedridden. After leaving hospital, Liam's condition continued to deteriorate. He lost the ability to sit upright. His body became increasingly stiff and his posture worsened. Different wheelchairs were tried, but eventually his body could not tolerate sitting on any equipment apart from his hospital bed. Liam required care 24 hours a day. He has described the experience as being awake inside a body that had stopped working. Although Liam was the person diagnosed with FND, the condition affected everyone around him. His parents became his full-time carers, supporting him throughout his hospital treatment, appointments, rehabilitation, and the years when he could not care for himself. The experience placed considerable emotional and practical pressure on the family. There was stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and financial strain. Disability benefits provided some assistance, but they could not measure the time, care, and sacrifice required to support a severely