Overview
- Vicki Purdey, 37, was admitted to Poole Hospital on April 1, 2024, where tests and a lumbar puncture confirmed viral meningitis.
- She was readmitted on April 15 with recurrent meningitis and by then had forgotten how to walk, later receiving a diagnosis of functional neurological disorder.
- Her symptoms included short‑term memory loss, with one episode where she could not recognise a neighbour, and she reports little sensation in her legs.
- In November 2024, the charity Meningitis Now helped fund an electric wheelchair that she says has restored some independence as a parent.
- She continues physiotherapy and receives NHS Botox for frequent eye spasms, and she is campaigning for greater FND research and resources; she believes she was exposed during an A&E visit with her son.