Hi my name is Sophie, i am 23 years old and I am one among many who have struggled with the debilitating effects of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). After years of fighting for recognition, pleading with doctors to take my symptoms seriously, I was finally diagnosed by a neurologist. However, my journey didn't end there. Instead of receiving comprehensive care and support, I was merely directed to a website to learn about managing the condition on my own. This is not an isolated experience but a common narrative for those living with FND. In which, there are between 50,000 to 100,000 people in the UK that have FND. There is an estimated 12 to every 100,000 people that have it. Making 60% to 75% of those patients being women. And an estimated 18.3 per 100,000 children also with persistent FND symptoms with ages ranging between 5 and 15 years old.  

Functional Neurological Disorder is as real and incapacitating as any other disability or illness but remains largely misunderstood or unrecognized in many healthcare systems worldwide. The NHS and other global hospitals are notably lacking specialists aware of this condition's complexities and the debilitating symptoms it presents. Some of these symptoms for example include: Paralysis, limb and muscle weakness, functional seizures, functional tremours, dystonia, speech and swallowing difficulties and many, many more. 

We need social media platforms to launch TED talks featuring individuals living with FND, workplaces to conduct training days about this disorder, and hospitals globally to treat FND patients equitably compared to those suffering from other recognized disabilities or illnesses. We need TV companies to stop making headline grabbers and instead talk about the detrimental effects that Functional Neurological Disorder actually have on people in full, in order to help people like myself, have access to the correct support and treatment. We need the government to take responsibility in how they create guidelines and policies and to help those who need physical and financial support to actually recieve it without having to appeal several times just because their condition isn't fully recognised. 

The time has come for change - change in how society perceives individuals with FND; change in how our healthcare systems diagnose, treat, and manage this disorder; change in how we educate ourselves about this condition that affects so many yet remains largely invisible.

Please sign this petition if you believe everyone deserves recognition for their health struggles - no matter what form they take - because every voice matters when it comes to advocating for better healthcare practices worldwide.