Louth woman addresses Oireachtas on Functional Neurological Disorder

Louth woman, Aimee Campbell was part of the FND Ireland team to give first ever presentation to Oireachtas members on Functional Neurological Disorder

Aimee Campbell, 28, from Tullyallen who has Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), along side Eamon McPartlin, founder of FND Ireland, and Dr Aoife Laffan, Neurologist and co-founder of FND Ireland, gave a presentation to Oireachtas members on FND on April 17. The event was hosted in Leinster House by local Senator Erin McGreehan as part of FND Awareness Month.

The event kicked off with a presentation from Dr Aoife Laffan explaining what FND is, a neurological condition that occurs when there is a problem with the functioning of the nervous system; this impacts how the brain and body send and receive signals.

Although many people have not heard of FND, it has been reported as the second most common reason to see a neurologist as an outpatient, yet there is no dedicated HSE clinical pathway for FND. International literature suggests that the development of a FND clinical pathway reduces repeat GP referrals to neurology and other clinics, reduces repeat emergency department attendances and hospital admissions and reduces the inappropriate use of healthcare funding. 

Aimee Campbell presented the challenges of living with FND, and how her life has changed from competing at the highest level in Irish Dancing to now being a wheelchair user. Aimee who is paralyzed in three limbs and has many complex care needs gave an overview of her symptoms and the many hospital admissions she has had.

She highlighted in particular how her functional seizures are different from epileptic seizures. Aimee outlined her struggles to access relevant supports having recently won her fight for homecare support after the HSE originally turned her down for not meeting the criteria. Aimee said she is delighted to be on board as FND Ireland Awareness Ambassador and is looking forward to working with Eamon and the team on our FND Awareness campaigns.

Eamon McPartlin who also has FND gave a brief introduction to FND Ireland, the first Irish registered not for profit organisation dedicated to advocating for and supporting those living with FND in Ireland.

It is an entirely voluntary organisation with a committed team that requires funding to grow sustainably to extend its reach to the entire FND community in Ireland. Eamon outlined how FND Ireland will focus on six key areas, Support, Advocacy, Awareness, Information, Research and Collaboration.

Eamon noted the many challenges faced by those living with FND in Ireland and asked all Oireachtas members in attendance to ensure that our Government urgently put funding in place to develop the HSE clinical pathway for FND and the multidisciplinary teams urgently required. 

Aimee and FND Ireland say they wish to thank local Senator Eirin McGreehan for hosting the event and the many elected representatives who attended the presentation including local TD’s Fergus O’Dowd and Ged Nash.

FND Ireland also wish to thank Minister Anne Rabbitte for taking time to attend and meet with the team. To find out more about FND Ireland please check out their website www.fnd.ie and their social media platforms.