Introducing the FND Connect Ouchie
We were training social workers in Liverpool when Amy Nash’s tremors spiralled. We put an Ouchie in her hand. Within seconds they stopped. Grant at GS3Ds has now made them in FND Connect colours — £6, and 20% of every sale comes back to us.
The short version: the FND Connect Ouchie is a handheld sensory tool from GS3Ds, made in our colours, for £6. It is not a medical device and it will not work for everyone. We are sharing what we saw, because it was striking, and because Grant is putting 20% of those sales back into FND Connect each month.
A training room in Liverpool
We were delivering a training session to social workers in Liverpool. The job of that room is simple and serious: help people who will meet FND in real families understand that the symptoms are real, involuntary, and often badly misunderstood.
Amy Nash, our Welsh ambassador, was telling her story. That is never a small thing. Telling the truth of FND in front of a professional audience asks a lot of the nervous system — memory, emotion, lights, eyes on you, the effort of staying in the room while the story is still yours.
Then the tremors took over
As Amy spoke, the tremors built. They were not a slight shake. They became intense and fast — the kind of escalation you recognise if you have lived with FND, when the body starts running a programme you did not choose.
I honestly believe she was seconds from going into a seizure.
We put the Ouchie into her hand.
She started to squeeze it, passing it from one hand to the other. Within seconds the tremors calmed. Then they stopped. Completely.
It was one of those quiet, startling moments you do not forget. No drama. No medical theatre. Just a highly textured object in two hands, and a nervous system that found a different signal to hold onto.
Tricia used one to stay in the room
Tricia — Patricia Hughes, one of our trustees — was in the same session. She used an Ouchie throughout her own story, squeezing it to stay grounded and focused while she spoke.
Two people, two different uses, in the same room: one to interrupt a spiral that looked seconds from a seizure, one to stay steady enough to keep talking. That is why we wanted a version of this tool that belonged with FND Connect, and why we wanted it sitting in our face-to-face support groups for the days when someone needs something to hold.
What we think might be happening — and what we are not claiming
We need to be straight about this.
What we saw in Liverpool is our experience. It is not a trial. It is not proof. We cannot promise the Ouchie will work for you, or for the person you care for. FND is too individual for that kind of promise, and anyone who makes it should be treated with caution.
The working idea — and it is only an idea — is that the strong, slightly sharp sensory input from the textured surface gives the brain something immediate and physical to process. That may interrupt the “rogue” signalling that was driving Amy’s tremors, or at least give attention somewhere else to land. Some people with FND already use grounding, temperature or strong sensory input when they notice warning signs. The Ouchie is one more option in that family of tools, not a replacement for anyone’s care, prescribed treatment or seizure-management plan.
If it helps even a little, £6 is a low-cost way to find out.
What the Ouchie actually is
The FND Connect Ouchie is a compact, handheld sensory tool designed by GS3Ds with the FND community in mind. It is 3D printed in the UK, weighs about 80g, and is made to order — please allow 3–5 business days for printing and processing.
The surface is densely spiked, so the feedback is strong and focused when you squeeze, grip or roll it in your hands. One end twists for a second kind of sensory input. A small loop makes it easier to hold, carry or keep nearby.
You choose the colours. The body comes in FND Connect navy or pink, and the twistable end and loop can match or contrast.
- Navy
- Pink
At a glance
- £6 from GS3Ds — checkout is on their website, not ours
- UK-made, 3D printed to order (3–5 business days)
- About 80g, compact enough to keep close
- Spiked texture, twistable end, small carry loop
- Navy and pink, including mixed colourways
- 20% of FND Connect brand Ouchie sales donated to us each month
How Grant and GS3Ds came into this
Tricia was already a customer of Grant, who runs GS3Ds. After Liverpool, we looked for a way to work together that would actually reach people — not a logo on a slide, a tool in someone’s hand.
Grant did three things that mattered.
He designed new FND Connect colourways in our navy and pink, so the tool feels like it belongs with us. He offered a proper discount on bulk units so we can have Ouchies available for people who are struggling in our face-to-face support groups. And he agreed that 20% of all sales of the FND Connect brand Ouchies will be donated back to FND Connect each month.
That last point is worth repeating. You do not buy this from the FND Connect shop. You buy it from Grant, on the GS3Ds website. If you do, a fifth of that sale comes back into our work.
Grant has been generous, practical and easy to work with. We are grateful.
If you want to try one
We will keep using them in the room when someone needs something to hold. If you want your own, they are £6 on GS3Ds, in navy, pink, or mixed. Made to order in the UK. Strong sensory feedback, in the palm of your hand.
We cannot promise it will help. We can only tell you what we saw, and leave the rest with you.
Important: the FND Connect Ouchie is a sensory aid and is not a medical device. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or stop FND seizures or any other condition, and it should not replace medical care, prescribed treatment or a personal seizure-management plan. The textured surface is meant to be noticeable. It should never be used hard enough to cause injury, bruising, broken skin or lasting pain. Stop if it hurts in the wrong way, irritates the skin, or simply is not for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the FND Connect Ouchie?
A compact, UK-made handheld sensory tool with a highly textured surface, a twistable end and a small carry loop. GS3Ds 3D-prints it in FND Connect navy and pink. It is a sensory aid, not a medical device.
Does the Ouchie stop FND tremors or seizures?
No one can promise that. In one Liverpool training session it calmed Amy Nash’s tremors within seconds, and Tricia used one to stay grounded while speaking. That is our experience, not a clinical trial. It will not work for everyone.
How much does it cost and where do I buy it?
£6 from GS3Ds, not from the FND Connect shop. It is made to order in the UK; allow 3–5 business days for printing. You choose navy or pink for the body, and navy or pink for the twistable end and loop.
What does FND Connect receive from each sale?
Grant at GS3Ds donates 20% of all FND Connect brand Ouchie sales back to FND Connect each month. He has also supplied discounted units for our face-to-face support groups.
This is a first-hand account from a training session, and an introduction to a partner product. It is information, not medical advice. FND CONNECT CIC is not a crisis service. Product photography is used with thanks to GS3Ds.