A Suffolk woman describes her life being upended by a diagnosis she hadn’t heard of before, and she’s determined to keep fighting despite the challenges. Hannah Dickerson, 30, used to be an energetic majorette with a daily routine that involved walking a mile to her admin and marketing job in Ipswich. Today, she depends on a wheelchair or crutches, needs assistance to get out of bed, and relies on others for basic tasks like using the toilet. She candidly shares the emotional toll: feeling like a burden and frustrated by the limitations, yet still clinging to a spark of resilience.
What’s at the heart of her story is functional neurological disorder (FND), a condition that disrupts how the brain and nervous system communicate. It’s estimated to affect between 50,000 and 100,000 people in the UK. While the exact cause isn’t known, some researchers suspect links to stress, past trauma, or responses to infections and inflammation. Neurology expert Mark Edwards of King’s College London notes that FND can cause substantial disability, comparable in impact to diseases such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.
For Hannah, the impact has been devastating. She speaks of persistent fatigue, slurred speech, seizures, paralysis, limited mobility, gait and breathing difficulties, limb weakness, and pervasive brain fog. She cannot walk unaided and can manage only a few steps before becoming breathless, leaving her heavily dependent on support from others. Her decline began in March 2022, when she lost sensation in her legs and feet and soon saw symptoms spread to her arms and hands, with speech becoming harder. After almost a year of uncertainty, she was diagnosed with FND. Her reaction was a mix of shock, fear, and confusion, as she had never heard of the condition and didn’t know what it would mean for her future.
Access to diagnosis, rehabilitation, and ongoing care remains uneven across the UK. The charity FND Action highlights widespread waiting lists and a shortage of specialist support, leaving families to cope with complex symptoms largely without tailored guidance. Chief Executive Kim Rosser emphasizes the urgent need for fair, properly funded care pathways so every person diagnosed gets the treatment they deserve.
Hannah’s experience with the healthcare system has included a needlessly complicated path to official recognition, starting with a private neurologist before Ipswich Hospital formally diagnosed her. Since then, she has often felt left to navigate the situation largely on her own, with limited information about what the future might hold. Her father, Peter Lenney, voices pride in his daughter’s positive attitude and determination to regain some independence, while acknowledging that more support from the NHS would be welcome. He suggests that the medical community’s current approach can feel overwhelmed by the complexity and variability of FND, and notes that while NHS care is commendable, it sometimes falls short in addressing this condition.
Hannah herself recognizes the reality that FND is multifaceted and unpredictable, making it hard for doctors to treat. She describes the condition as a minefield and admits she is still trying to understand it herself. There is cautious optimism on the horizon, however: the Department of Health and Social Care has signaled a commitment to transforming care for FND and similar conditions, including funding for innovative research. NHS England has designated FND as a core neurology sub-speciality, with new national standards intended to streamline diagnosis and treatment for more patients.
Professor Edwards explains that, in theory, improvement is possible because FND stems from dysfunction in brain signaling rather than irreversible brain damage. While many people do experience meaningful recovery when they receive high-quality care, the obstacles—limited NHS services for FND and ongoing stigma—make sustained improvement challenging. Hannah has begun exploring costly private treatments, such as electric stimulation, though the evidence for their effectiveness remains inconclusive. She remains inspired by stories of others who have returned to near-normal lives and hopes for similar outcomes for herself. She acknowledges that independence would be wonderful, while staying realistic about the journey.
The NHS has been asked for comment. In the meantime, Hannah’s story highlights the ongoing debate about how best to diagnose, treat, and support people with FND, a condition that continues to provoke strong opinions and vigorous discussion about care standards, access, and the role of public health systems in managing complex neuropsychological disorders.
