FND sufferer goes public after 10 years with the illness that changed his life

Credit: Liam Virgo

A Nottinghamshire man who has been living with Functional Neurological Disorder for the last decade has gone public to raise awareness about the illness that changed his life.

Before 2016, Liam Virgo from Annesley was happy and healthy with no reason to think that his world was about to collapse, but, that year, everything changed when he cognitive skills faded, his co-ordination vanished and within days, he found himself paralysed and unable to speak, suddenly becoming severely disabled at just 13 years of age.

Liam said: “I was a prisoner in a body that simply stopped listening to me. I was rushed to hospital for testing and came out four months later with the diagnosis of FND, a condition where the brain’s software — the way it sends and receives signals—crashes, even though the “hardware” or structure looks fine on scans.

“Because it doesn’t show up on a standard MRI, I occasionally faced being misunderstood, with some even suggesting I was “pretending” or my symptoms were down to a “mental health issue”.

“The reality was far darker. I spent three years bedridden and five years unable to walk. For a full year, I lost my voice entirely. I felt trapped inside my own body—fully awake but locked behind a wall of silence and stillness. My mind felt blank, and I don’t remember the early days of my illness and life before it is a blur.”

Eventually, after three years, Liam’s physical health started to improve. He started to regain movement in his arms and eventually learned to sit up again.

He described how things began to improve for him. He said: “I remember the first time I sat in my new wheelchair, It felt like I was stepping into a whole new world. I didn’t stop there. I eventually fulfilled my dreams of visiting London and I met the cast of the ITV show Loose Women.”

At the age of 23 in 2026, he is nevertheless still fighting FND but is reclaiming his life, standing independently and relearning how to walk with support. “I’ve found my voice again, and I’m using it to raise awareness.” he said.

Liam took the opportunity to go public to offer a message to anyone struggling in life. He said: “Hope is a tiny spark that can survive the darkest days. FND took my mobility and my freedom for a decade, but it could never take my determination.

“I am living proof that even when your body shuts down, you can find a way to start it back up again.

“I’m adjusting to life post severe FND and learning to live with my new normal. FND took everything from me but I’m now more determined than ever to not let my illness hold me back from doing anything.”

For more information and support, visit FNDaction.org.uk.