Relly Ladner was on the soccer field, feeling a sharp pain in her shin. At just 17 years old and training at one of the top soccer academies in the US, she was hesitant to take a break, even though something didn’t seem quite right. “Keep going,” her coach encouraged, and she pushed through.
Later that night, a strange tingling began in her ankles, creeping up to her knees, followed by a complete numbness in her legs. Doctors at a busy emergency department in New Hampshire reassured her it was likely just dehydration.
But the next morning, Ladner woke up unable to move her legs at all.
“I was terrified,” she recalled. “It was the worst feeling I’ve ever had.”
Rushed back to the hospital, the doctors tested her knee reflexes and found nothing happened. They then proceeded with a spinal tap to investigate further for nerve issues.
Then came the shocking diagnosis: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). This rare disorder affects about one in 100,000 individuals and involves the immune system attacking the nerves, potentially leading to severe paralysis and respiratory problems.
Now 25, Ladner reflects on those days: “Doctors weren’t sure if I’d ever walk again. They said I might not stand or play soccer anymore. But all I ever wanted was to play soccer—it was my whole life.”
It was May 2017, a pivotal time as she planned to attend Dartmouth College to continue her soccer journey.
Refusing to accept the doctors’ grim prognosis, Ladner dedicated herself to rigorous rehabilitation over the next eight months. She painstakingly relearned every movement, starting from climbing out of bed to eventually running and playing soccer once more.
Since then, she hasn’t taken her health for granted. In fact, she has become a marathon runner, completing her second New York City marathon just recently.
Ladner shared, “I felt scared and helpless when they said I might never walk again. But at the same time, I was motivated—I knew I had to defy those odds.”
After her GBS diagnosis, things took a turn for the worse.
GBS is an uncommon autoimmune disorder where immune cells mistakenly attack peripheral nerves in the arms and legs, hindering signal transmission. In its early stages, patients often experience tingling or numbness, eventually losing the ability to move.
The exact cause isn’t entirely clear, but it may stem from the immune system reacting to a common viral infection, like the flu or COVID-19, that the person may not even realize they had.
It’s a unique and rare response, with only 3,000 to 6,000 cases diagnosed annually in the US. Although adults are more frequently affected, the illness can appear at any age.
Approximately 80% of GBS patients can walk independently within six months of diagnosis, and about 60% regain their muscle strength within a year, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Doctors attribute much of this recovery to intensive treatment.
Yet, 5 to 10% may face prolonged or incomplete recovery, experiencing complications like paralysis, while fewer than 2% succumb to the illness.
In Ladner’s situation, she received infusions of immunoglobulin from healthy donors, which are proteins that fight infections. While not a cure for GBS, it might help by neutralizing the antibodies attacking the nerves.
Eight hours after her first infusion, her numbness ceased progressing.
In addition to GBS, Ladner dealt with aseptic meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord—this wasn’t caused by GBS but rather could occur from blood plasma treatments.
As her treatment took effect, her doctors and family felt relieved—yet the damage to her leg nerves left her with minimal movement.
She spent several weeks in the hospital, rehabilitating her capacity to climb out of bed and walk again.
Later, she moved to a rehab facility, where dedicated physical therapists helped her walk, run, and kick a soccer ball once again.
By January 2018, she was discharged, eight months after her initial symptoms appeared.
Today, she notes that while her immune system is still ‘weak’ and she catches colds frequently, her athletic abilities have significantly improved.
Besides returning to soccer, moving to New York City sparked her interest in running. Joining the New York Road Runners, she has participated in three marathons and hopes to continue.
She completed the Nashville marathon last April and has now run the New York City marathon twice.
Despite her achievements, she often reflects on her past condition and worries about a potential relapse. Yet, this fear fuels her motivation to run.
“People often ask why I’m so driven to run,” Ladner said. “I believe it’s because I’ve experienced Guillain-Barré and was told I might never walk again. There was a time I lay in a hospital bed unable to walk.”
“Even when training gets tough, I think back to wishing I could do what I’m doing now. That thought encourages me to keep pushing through.”
