‘My body completely gave up’
A popular fitness influencer was left paralyzed after a tick bite left her “trapped in unbearable pain.”
Maria Palen, 31, said she is learning to walk again after the rare condition left her unable to move her legs — prompting her to “lose” a year of her life.
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“The most progress that we’ve seen is within the last month, where my steps are getting better, and I can do side steps,” she told People, adding that she’s still unable to bend her knees.
Palen first shared her story on social media in September 2024, telling her Instagram followers that the condition “started with small aches, tiny pains that most people might ignore.”
The content creator said that her “body completely gave up” on her in March 2024 — leaving her entirely bedridden.
“Why was my body failing me? I’ve always lived a healthy lifestyle, this didn’t make any sense,” she said on social media at the time. “It quickly became clear that this wasn’t something I could fix with a balanced diet or exercise.”
The California native told the outlet that doctors were initially convinced that she had an autoimmune disease; however, this was later proven to be incorrect.
According to the social media star, tiny organisms called Babesia had entered her bloodstream via a tick bite. Her red blood cells were targeted as a result.
“It completely shattered my immune system,” she said on social media. “It became so bad that something as simple as locking my phone or turning my car’s wheel became moments of agony.”
The condition affects fewer than 3,000 people per year in the US, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
In an Instagram video shared in December 2024, Palen told her 23.7 followers that before her body became paralyzed, her tailbone began to ache.
Days later, she found it impossible to sit through meetings or even stand for long periods of time.
“Once the pain meds kicked in at the hospital, my legs started going numb,” she said. “First the left, then the right, until it crept all the way up to my belly button.”
“Turns out my spinal fluid was loaded with white blood cells. Something was definitely attacking my spinal cord and even now, doctors can’t pinpoint exactly what it was,” she added.
A GoFundMe page, which was set up in January to support Palen’s recovery, has since raised more than $12,000.
“Her savings are depleted and medical bills continue to pile up,” the fundraiser page read. “Having lost her apartment and career due to the longevity of her illness, Maria is currently living with family in Texas.”
According to the page, doctors had given Palen “a 33% chance of full recovery, 33% chance of partial recovery, or a 33% chance of no recovery at all.”
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