Latest news with #MariaPalen
NDTV
14 hours ago
- Health
- NDTV
Fitness Influencer Paralysed By Tick Bite, Now Battling To Walk Again
Maria Palen, a fitness influencer from California, is learning to walk again after a rare illness caused partial paralysis and turned her life upside down. Palen first revealed her health struggle in a September 2024 Instagram post, where she described how a sudden and mysterious illness left her bedridden. In December, she reported some signs of improvement, such as regaining minimal movement in one leg and the ability to take small steps. Her condition began with minor aches and pains that slowly worsened. By March 2024, she had lost 20 pounds and was no longer able to function normally. "It felt like my body completely gave up on me," she said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by maria (@planthlete_maria) Doctors initially suspected an autoimmune disease, but later discovered that Palen had contracted Babesiosis, a rare and potentially serious illness caused by parasites transmitted through tick bites. These parasites attacked her red blood cells and severely weakened her immune system. Palen described experiencing extreme pain from everyday tasks like using her phone or turning a steering wheel. Her condition deteriorated rapidly in October 2024 after she began feeling feverish and weak. While hospitalised, she became paralysed from the waist down. Tests revealed high white blood cell levels in her spinal fluid, indicating inflammation or infection affecting her spinal cord. Though her doctors were unable to give a clear diagnosis, Palen believes her symptoms may be connected to Lyme disease. She was treated with antibiotics, which helped clear the infection, but the nerve damage had already been done. Palen now lives with her family in Texas after losing her apartment and career. A GoFundMe campaign launched in January has raised over $12,000 to support her recovery. Doctors have given her a one-in-three chance for full, partial, or no recovery. Despite the uncertainty, Palen remains hopeful. "I have to be optimistic. If not, I would mentally spiral," she said. Her goal is to fully walk again, and she continues daily rehabilitation.
New York Post
a day ago
- Health
- New York Post
Fitness influencer, 31, left paralyzed from tick bite: ‘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. '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. 4 A popular fitness influencer was left paralyzed after a tick bite left her 'trapped in unbearable pain.' Kennedy News & Media 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. 4 Maria Palen, 31, said she is learning to walk again after the rare condition left her unable to move her legs. Kennedy News & Media 4 The content creator said that her 'body completely gave up' on her in March 2024. Kennedy News & Media 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.' Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters '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. 4 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. Chalabala – '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.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Fitness star left paralyzed from waist down after tick bite... as US suffers worst-ever outbreak
She had just achieved her 'dream physique' as a budding fitness influencer. But Maria Palen, 31, from California, has told how her life was turned upside down after a tick bite left her paralyzed from the waist down. The brunette initially experienced inflammation and joint pain, so she switched to a plant-based diet and started working out more in a bid to get her health back on track. But her symptoms got worse instead of better and the pain became so severe that by March 2024, she was left bedbound. The chemical engineer, who has more than 20,000 followers on Instagram, became unable to complete everyday tasks such as locking her phone screen or opening a tin of tuna. After visiting a functional doctor, she was diagnosed with babesiosis - a disease caused by parasites that infect red blood cells, often transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Maria's story comes as experts say this year is the worst tick season on record due to a milder winter across the US, which kept more animals alive that act as hosts to ticks. The fitness enthusiast believes she was likely bitten by a tick while hiking or enjoying the outdoors potentially years ago and not been aware of the infection. Maria was given medication to help eradicate the parasite but in October 2024 she started to experience pain in her tailbone that was so severe that she was unable to sit down. Maria was rushed to the emergency room and given pain medication but her symptoms worsened and she was soon numb and paralyzed from the waist down. She said: 'I have no idea [when the tick bite might have happened]. 'I think it got so bad because [the bite and infection] went undetected for so long because I didn't know that I had it. 'I think that if I had detected it sooner, it wouldn't have got to the stage that I'm at now. 'For the entire of 2024 I was in so much pain that it was hard to do simple tasks. 'My thumb hurt so bad and it was so swollen and inflamed that it was hard to lock my phone. 'Basic things like brushing my teeth in the morning, opening a can of tuna, and driving were painful. 'I couldn't go to the gym anymore. I was 145lbs when I was lifting heavy and then immediately, I went down to 128lbs. I lost that within the three weeks I was bedridden.' Maria is currently receiving physical therapy for eight hours each week and is hopeful that one day she will be able to regain the feeling in her legs. Reflecting on how the disease has impacted her life, Maria said: 'I'm so used to waking up at 4am, going to the gym and then going to work. 'I'm so used to a busy lifestyle, so it's been hard mentally because I can't do all the things I loved. 'I have to let it play its course. Hopefully the nerves heal and I can get back to my old life. 'I'm bored now because I don't really go out. It's been an adjustment. I'm trying to stay as positive as possible just because it will help with the healing process. 'I try and look at the small wins. I am getting some movement back in my legs after the six months. 'I'm just taking it day by day and trying to stay positive and pray that I am able to get full recovery but it's an unknown. 'Not knowing whether I will get full recovery or not is the hard part.' Human cases of babesiosis have more than doubled in a decade in the US, a trend some say is linked to climate change and clearing more land for development. Only about 2,500 cases are officially diagnosed each year, but scientists warn many are likely flying under the radar because doctors don't know to test for it. Infections are rising across the mid-west, northeast and the west and are most common in the summer months when ticks are active. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, say they have decoded the first-ever high quality genome of one of the microbes behind the illness. They say this will help develop tools to diagnose the disease and new treatments for the disease that can also cause organ failure and an enlarged spleen and liver. Babesia are single-celled organisms that normally circulate between ticks and deer, but can also infect humans via tick bites. Patients show symptoms one to six weeks after bites which initially appear similar to malaria, including a fever, headache and muscle pains. This graph, provided by the CDC, shows how many cases of babesiosis have been recorded in the US by year. In 2011 there were just over 1,000 cases, but now this has grown to 2,500 But in serious cases they can progress to organ failure, a swollen spleen or liver and anemia — driven by the pathogen destroying red blood cells. Estimates suggest about 0.5 percent of all patients die from the disease. But among the elderly and immunocompromised, the death rate can be as high as 20 percent. The disease can be treated with antibiotic and anti-parasite drugs azithromycin and atovaquone. About 2,500 people are diagnosed with the infection every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), up from just over 1,000 from a decade beforehand. But over recent years, the agency has warned that the disease is becoming more prevalent in eight of ten states that monitor for the infection, especially in the northeast. But many cases are missed because patients may be co-infected with Lyme disease. Experts also say that while most doctors are aware of Lyme disease, not as many know about babesiosis or the warning signs to look out for. Healthy people who become infected are also unlikely to develop symptoms. Columbia University scientists say up to 20 percent of older patients who catch the disease die from the illness. There are two types of microbes behind the illness named babesia microti — which is spread by the deer tick in the summer months — and B. duncani — spread by the winter tick in the fall and early winter. For their study, researchers analyzed the genetics behind B. duncani for the first time. They also built its 3D structure using a computer, finding that it closely resembled the parasite behind malaria or Plasmodium falciparum. They said this may have helped it evolve ways to dodge immunity. The CDC revealed in 2023 that cases rose in eight of ten states that were reporting babesiosis cases from 2011 to 2019. The uptick was 25 percent. At the same time, cases of Lyme disease — which can be confused with the illness — rose by 44 percent. The disease also became endemic in three new states: Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Previously, it was only considered endemic in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Babesiosis was first detected in the US in 1969.
