Raffaela, who has FND and Parkinsons, learned that she gets to write her own narrative. Despite life-altering diagnoses that significantly diminished her sense of personal agency, Raffaela refused to give up and instead forged a new path, one of her choosing. “You get to rewrite your story,” she says. “Mine used to be about loss and limitation. Now, it’s about strength. Now, it’s about possibility.”

Raffaela is an Italian living in Malborough with a passion for tramping. She was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) in 2021, and she received an Expedition Grant to help her achieve her goal of tramping into Blue Lake Hut in Nelson Lakes National Park.