'I was a fit, young athlete - then I got a life-changing diagnosis'

'I was a fit, young athlete - then I got a life-changing diagnosis'Kadeena Cox is working to raise awareness of the condition after being accused of faking her disabilityCommentsNewsSamantha Leathers Senior Money & Lifestyle writer14:24, 22 Apr 2026Updated 14:24, 22 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesKadeena Cox was diagnosed after a stroke at 23(Image: BBC)A woman has shared symptoms she first spotted that led to a life-changing diagnosis. Kadeena Cox revealed she has been accused of faking her disability when parking or using disabled toilets due to her health condition being 'invisible'.‌And she is unfortunately not alone - with nearly half of people living with her condition facing the same challenge. The paralympian was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in university after experiencing a stroke at the age of 23.‌She recalled her very first symptoms being “a little tiny spot of like tingling” on her arm that she initially dismissed. Yet when she started losing feeling in her arm, her friends warned it was “not normal”.‌Speaking on BBC Morning Live for MS Awareness Week, the gold medallist said: “I was really enjoying doing athletics. I was a student doing my first year when I initially had a stroke.What started as a tingle continued over the course of a week until she lost feeling in her arm. It only worsened from there.She said: “It basically went from my neck downwards and then I was unable to walk, my speech was bad, there was a lot going on. I literally went from being an able-bodied athlete to someone who had a stroke and then, four months later, I was diagnosed with MS.”‌View 3 ImagesKadeena is working to raise awareness of the condition that isn't always visible(Image: BBC)Looking back now, Kadeena recognises the ‘tingling’ as an MS flare up. The condition occurs when a person’s immune system attacks their brain and spinal cord, causing a range of symptoms that can differ from person to person.The lifelong condition doesn’t have a cure but...