Girl, 17, thought she had nasty cold then she woke up unable to walk or talk

A teenage girl who thought her tics had started due to a “nasty cold” suddenly had her life “put on hold” when she was left unable to walk or talk and suffering almost daily seizures.

Amy-Louise Beaumont, now 19, was a “very healthy” teenager, dreaming of university and a career as a human rights lawyer when she suddenly started experiencing tics and bodily twitches.

Just five days later, she was admitted to hospital unable to walk or talk and diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) – a rare problem with how the brain receives and sends information to the rest of the body – and functional hyperkinetic movement disorder (FHMD), which can cause abnormal involuntary movements.

READ MORE: It's the 'biggest project in area since M60 was built' - but it will cause a LOT of disruption

Amy-Louise’s life “completely changed” as the conditions cause brain fog, muscle spasms, tics and tremors, as well as seizures almost every day – sometimes up to six per day and each varying from five to 20 minutes.

Her mother Julie, a 55-year-old clinical nurse specialist, and sister Lucy, a 23-year-old nurse, said she requires 24/7 care and the use of a wheelchair as she cannot walk far, and though her speech has partially returned it is often slurred and “similar to a stammer” but this can vary “hour to hour”.

The family have spent around £7,000 to cover equipment costs, such as a wheelchair, and they have used a £40,000 council grant to pay for necessary adaptations at home – but Lucy has now launched an £18,000 online fundraiser for a wheelchair lift to “change (her sister’s) life”.

Speaking about the impact of the diagnoses, Julie said: “It has been absolutely life-changing. As a mum, when your children are growing up, they