{"id":897,"date":"2026-04-27T02:44:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T00:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/27\/my-body-pauses-my-spirit-doesnt\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T21:43:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:43:50","slug":"my-body-pauses-my-spirit-doesnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/27\/my-body-pauses-my-spirit-doesnt\/","title":{"rendered":"My Body Pauses, My Spirit Doesn\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This morning I woke up with my legs paralysed again. That familiar fear crept in\u2014but so did something stronger: determination. As the feeling slowly returned, I stretched, breathed through it, and made a decision\u2026 I was going to run.

Connor, my usual partner in crime, is recovering after surgery, and my husband is sidelined with an ankle injury\u2014so today, it was just me and Rose taking on the 10km Trail Race at The Big Red Barn.

And what a run it was. My body held strong, my legs carried me, and I crossed that finish line in 3rd place\u2014another bronze medal, another reminder of what I\u2019m still capable of.

But this journey is unpredictable.

About an hour later, while on the phone with my mom, my legs started to feel strange. Before I could even react, I was paralysed again\u2014this time in public. My husband had to bring the car closer and carry me. I felt exposed, embarrassed, and honestly\u2026 scared. This was new. This was different.

But here\u2019s what I\u2019m holding onto: I still showed up. I still ran. I still finished. And even in my most vulnerable moment, I wasn\u2019t defeated.

This is what living with FND looks like. It\u2019s unpredictable, humbling, and sometimes overwhelming\u2014but it\u2019s also filled with resilience, courage, and moments of triumph that refuse to be overshadowed.

“You are not defined by the moments you fall, but by the strength you rise with\u2014again and again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This morning I woke up with my legs paralysed again. That familiar fear crept in\u2014but so did something stronger: determination. As the feeling slowly returned, I stretched, breathed through it, and made a decision\u2026 I was going to run. Connor, my usual partner in crime, is recovering after surgery, and my husband is sidelined with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[166],"tags":[168],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-my-life-with-fnd","tag-fndwarrior-chooselife-strengthinstruggle-invisibleillness-keepgoing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260426_161105_284.webp?fit=1080%2C1920&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":890,"url":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/18\/living-in-the-in-between-my-life-with-fnd\/","url_meta":{"origin":897,"position":0},"title":"Living in the In-Between: My Life with FND","author":"Rey De Bruyn-Walters","date":"18 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Some days, my body feels like a stranger I\u2019m forced to share space with.Living with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is not something you can fully explain to someone who hasn\u2019t experienced it. 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Complete paralysis. It lasted about an hour\u2014but in that moment, it felt endless. Fear set in quickly. I didn\u2019t know what to do, so I stayed still, waiting, hoping. 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