FND in Poetry

This was written in 2018 on national poetry day:

Have you heard the news about

This thing called FND?

Functional neurological disorder

It was a mystery to me

Until, about a year ago

When they said "that's why you can't see"

For several years before that

I'd been told I had MS

But this was changed to FND

After a huge series of tests

The neurologist said it was good news

Though really quite complex

Questions, I had many:

So what is FND?

How is it affecting me?

What help might there be?

Will I see again properly?

Could I regain mobility?

Sadly, answers were few

It seemed no one really knew

More research was due

But there's a funding queue

Go online and pursue

Your own research on you

So that was what I did

Read all there was to find

Papers, presentations

Wasn't easy being blind

But what else could I do

Needed to understand my mind

And that is where it is

This thing called FND

A disruption in the brain

On that everyone agrees

The wiring's gone wrong

Though no one's sure why that would be

Neuro signals get confused

Some stop, others go insane

My eyes see, but brain is blind

Nerves don't feel, but brain feels pain

Legs can move, but brain just won't

Intellect is there, but brain is slain

So what is there to do?

A few therapy's exist

But within a few months

I'd been to every on the list

And all of them agreed

Nowt to do, I was dismissed

So back I went online

I found "FND hope"

A small charity, growing

To meet the massive scope

There I found advice on

How to live, more than cope

Thousands of people

Just like me

Suffering each day

Often invisibly

Determined to improve

How life will be

Being part of the FND

Online community

Gives hope and understanding

It's inspiring me

To live and be

The best I can be

I must balance

My energy

I must try to

Think positively

I must keep remembering

I'm still me

I hope this little poem

About living with FND

Will raise more awareness

About its complexity

And maybe raise some funds

Research needs money!!

You can find out more about FND at FND Hope UK