‘Doctors said I was having a panic attack, moments later I was paralyzed’

A Generation Z woman has revealed how she went from a healthy and active lifestyle to full body paralysis within minutes, leaving her thankful to still be alive.  

Prior to Valentine’s Day 2026, Martina’s life was nothing out of the ordinary. She was a healthy 24-year-old woman who loved being independent. Yet, everything changed when she was having a movie night with her cousin, went to stand up, and noticed an unusual sensation in her body.  

Martina, from the U.S., told Newsweek that it started with a tingling feeling in her shoulders and it “increasingly went down [her] body.” She had no idea what was happening, but she knew it wasn’t normal. While Martina walked around the house and tried to shake the sensation off, her cousin called an ambulance because there were no signs of improvement.  

After walking outside to the ambulance, Martina asked paramedics if she was about to die. To her surprise, they told her no and suggested she was just having a panic attack.

“It began as this tingling feeling that started in my shoulders and went down my arms, but within four hours, I was completely paralyzed from the neck down,” Martina said. “I never believed the paramedics because this was definitely not a panic attack, and I knew it was something much more serious.”

While Martina was still able to walk from the stretcher to the hospital at first, her mobility swiftly declined. She underwent a CT scan, lumbar puncture and an MRI scan, all of which came back showing “nothing concerning.”

Martina and her doctors were perplexed because they couldn’t find answers. After 48 hours in hospital, the tests and scans were all repeated, as well as a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). That was in fact the most telling result, as the MRA showed ischemia (reduced blood flow and oxygen supply) in Martina’s cervical spine at C1 and C5. The lumbar puncture also revealed an increase in lymphocytes, white blood cells responsible for fighting infection, suggesting that her body was fighting off something.

“As the time went on, I felt increased weakness, difficulty breathing, lost control of my bowel and bladder, and very drowsy,” Martina said.

Six days after arriving at the hospital, Martina learned that she had suffered a spinal cord stroke at C1 and C5. The Cleveland Clinic explains that a spinal cord stroke occurs when a blood clot or bleeding interrupts the blood flow to the spinal cord itself, causing sudden and intense back pain, tingling or numbness, pain that radiates into the arms or legs, loss of sensation and paralysis.

Everyone is at risk of suffering a spinal cord stroke, but they are very rare and account for less than one percent of all strokes. Spinal cord strokes can significantly affect an individual’s life, leading to permanent paralysis, chronic pain, breathing problems, or permanent incontinence. In some cases, they can even be fatal.

Martina told Newsweek: “The doctors gave us no hope because the spinal cord hasn’t been fully studied and there’s not enough research, so everybody’s recovery is different. With me being so young, they really had no clue. I never thought this would be my reality—but I don’t think anybody ever does.”

Following this experience, they started documenting Martina’s experience on TikTok (@martoutaaa) to share her story and the ongoing recovery. A video documenting what happened has gone viral with over 73,200 views and 4,600 likes on TikTok at the time of writing. Social media users have praised Martina’s resilience and the uplifting message of strength she portrays.

Now, Martina is confined to an electric wheelchair and has to rely on those around her to help with many everyday tasks. In March, she started physical therapy in an attempt to regain some of her mobility and strength. As Martina lost all movement in one of her arms, she started using an electric stimulation bike that she pedals with her hands, she is able to simulate the movement of walking with robotic legs, and March 6 marked the first time she’d been able to stand for 21 days.

The journey is far from over, but Martina and her family remain hopeful. She is grateful for her life and refuses to let this break her, adding that “miracles do exist.”

“Never stop praying, we are only granted life and death the rest is a mystery,” Martina said.

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