Sarah Lewis says she was told by doctors she was probably just suffering from anxiety or stress, but was later diagnosed with something much more serious09:57, 17 Jun 2026A woman who put her migraines down to the pressures of being a busy working mum was left unable to walk or speak after being diagnosed with a debilitating brain condition. Sarah Lewis, 46, began experiencing severe headaches, difficulty swallowing and heart palpitations, yet claims doctors repeatedly told her she was most likely suffering from anxiety or stress.‌The mum-of-two had also attributed her symptoms to the demands of her high-pressured role as an assistant management accountant, while simultaneously sitting accountancy exams and juggling family life. Her migraines grew increasingly frequent, and the day after her son's 8th birthday, she found herself unable to walk in a straight line — describing it as feeling "like being drunk" — alongside difficulties with her speech.‌She was rushed to Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital with a suspected stroke or brain tumour, where she spent a week undergoing a battery of tests — only to be told once again that she was fine and "probably overdoing it" at work. Several months later, she was finally diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND), a condition in which the brain's 'software' malfunctions, disrupting signals between the brain and body.‌The diagnosis has left Sarah dependent on a wheelchair as she is unable to walk unaided, and she now relies on her mother as her carer at her home in Solihull. Yet despite these enormous challenges, she has managed to rebuild her life and is forging a new career running a thriving cake business alongside her 17-year-old son Henry.Sarah, who is also mum to Lily, 11, said: "It was a case of my body intervening and saying 'right I think you need to stop now' when I just thought I was tired and overworked.", reports Birmingham Live.‌"I put myself under so much pressure, feeling like I had got to do everything and I was just taking on too much. The first issues I started with were problems swallowing , food wouldn't go down the right way and I'd end up coughing and spluttering."Then I just started feeling really tired, I was going to lectures and about to sit accountancy exams while working full-time."So I just put it all down to working too hard and trying to do too much. I'm one of those people who just pushes on and just keeps going but I wasn't listening to my body.‌"Then palpitations started and as I'd lost my dad quite young to heart disease I was given a cardiac monitor to see if anything was wrong there - but it came back fine and the hospital said its probably just a bit of anxiety or stress."The migraines started happening on an almost daily basis - instead of coming home and having dinner I 'd just want to go to bed and lie down in a dark room. It was a very busy and stressful time at work but it became impossible to ignore the symptoms any longer. I was just thinking I'll do something after the next deadline and kept pushing myself at work but it came to the point where my vision and speech started to go too."It was the day after my son's 8th birthday where it looked as if I was drunk, I could barely walk properly. It was like I was walking in a Fun House.‌"I went back to my GP, I was starting to suffer from tremors too and they did a CT scan, blood tests and lumbar punctures - they thought it might be a brain tumour or a stroke. Yet they still told me everything was OK after getting the test results back and said I was just probably overdoing it."Following a referral to a neurology department, Sarah received a diagnosis of FND in September 2023. The condition causes involuntary physical symptoms, including loss of motor control, speech, sensory and cognitive difficulties.‌She went on to say: "But they could still not tell me if I would ever get better or how long this might last - and that is still the case today. It's like a computer where my hardware is all fine but the software isn't."It happens a lot with people with ADHD, where people work to burnout, I basically worked until I broke. I was never assessed for ADHD but I think most women my age have it to an extent anyway."I was never going to be able to work full-time after that. The doctor said to my husband 'don't treat her as if she's disabled'. But all of a sudden I was in a wheelchair and I can't really do anything on my own.‌"The prognosis is very much it might get better or it might get worse - they still don't know. It has been really awful, there's no sugar coating it, but I was determined to have some quality of life."Despite these challenges, Sarah, who remains dependent on a wheelchair but also relies on crutches, went ahead and established her business Cakey Blinders, which has now evolved into a family enterprise. She added: "Baking was something I had a passion for so I began making the cakes and it is now a full family affair with everybody helping out - it became a therapy for me.Article continues below"My mum lives with us and she helps me get the cakes in and out the oven as I still struggle with tremors and memory problems. My husband helps with the logistics and deliveries, Henry helps with everything and Lily helps come up with ideas too."In a way it has brought us closer together. Now I finally feel like I have a purpose and a passion and my family come first before a job or money, which wasn't always the case."I think I have a better relationship with them now than I did before, so I'm trying to take away the positives. Sometimes, the most hardest lessons in lift can be the most important ones."