Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Saturday, May 24, 2025
    961
    Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok
    • Breaking News
    • Guides
    • Food & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Join the Team
    • Whatsapp
      • 961
      • 961 News
    • AUB Outdoors ☀️
    Advertise with Us Get the App
    961
    Home»Diaspora»United States
    @jesstawil
    6 Mins Read

    Meet The Lebanese Woman Going Viral For Sharing What It’s Like Being Paralyzed

    By Souad LazkaniMarch 10, 2021Updated:March 10, 2021
    Facebook WhatsApp Copy Link

    Six years ago, a tragic accident left Lebanese-American Jessica Tawil permanently paralyzed and wheelchair-bound. Today, she is going viral for her resilience and bravery, and for spreading awareness about paraplegia on TikTok.

    Like many, Tawil, who is a T6 paraplegic, initially downloaded TikTok for fun. She started posting about what happened to her after feeling inspired by other TikTokers who were sharing their own stories.

    “As I continued scrolling through the For You page,” she told The961, “I couldn’t help but notice how raw a lot of people were; so I figured: ‘Why not speak my truth and tell my story?'”

    Little did she know she would receive massive recognition. Despite being on the app for only around 3 months, she already has nearly 1.4 million followers!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ9HLtfpPaN/

    How it happened

    “The person that was supposed to be my ‘friend’ invited me over to her house. I was under the impression that we were just going to hang out.”

    However, her friend had invited men that Tawil, who was only 16 at the time, had never met before. They brought alcohol, drugs, and paraphernalia with them.

    Eventually, she asked to be driven back home, but instead, they took her to an abandoned road, one that was infamous for its “haunted” stories.

    “When we got to this road, the driver stopped the car and put his foot on the gas and brake at the same time doing a burnout with his wheels. He lost control of the car and crashed into a tree.”

    “It was at this moment that I got whiplashed, split my head open to the point where my skull was exposed, and sustained a spinal cord injury, leaving me paralyzed the moment we crashed.”

    “Paramedics said that I lost the equivalence to a ‘Coca-Cola bottle of blood’ out of my head, and didn’t think I’d make it if they drove me to the hospital. They drove me to a nearby soccer field where a helicopter airlifted me to the ICU.”

    “From there on, I went through 7 months of rehab and remained permanently paralyzed and wheelchair-bound.”

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Jessica Tawil ??‍♀️ (@jesstawil)

    Worst yet, she felt that she was never compensated for her terrible experience and that justice was never served for what she had to go through.

    Life after the accident

    “I was initially hopeless,” she confessed.

    She would often tell her mom, “What purpose is there for me to live if only half of my body works? No man would marry me, no job would hire me. I’m nothing.”

    “As the years went on, I started becoming a little bit more faithful, and God turned out to be the only thing I found solace in. When I prayed, I felt a little bit better about my situation, even though I fantasized about walking again very often,” she said.

    Additionally, her family pushes her on a daily basis, she told us. “When I was first injured, I used to lock myself in my bedroom and cry every day. It got to a point where they would force me to go out and be interactive, and it actually helped me [to be] so much more extroverted. I only have them to thank.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BnKZbMNgWDP/

    With sheer resilience, she has been able to accomplish some of the things she never thought she would.

    “I never thought I’d be able to attend a 4-year university on my own, in a wheelchair. I never thought I’d be courageous enough to even pursue my studies because I was ashamed of my mirror-image,” she told us.

    “Now, I’m 2 months away from receiving a bachelor’s in pre-professional biology with a concentration in human physiology, with a minor in chemistry and a minor in Arabic.”

    “I also never thought I’d ever be able to get into relationships, start driving (I’m in the process of learning), and be able to intern and volunteer at a hospital nearby.”

    “The idea of having anyone depend on me sounded so far out of reach, but I was able to prove myself wrong every single time. I’m capable of so much more than people (and my own self, sometimes) think I am.”

    Tawil feels like she was not only robbed of her legs but also of her ability to do basic human things like use the bathroom normally, being dependent on catheters and enemas, or feel sexual intercourse.

    She adds that making friends is extremely difficult for her as people see the chair before they see her, which she feels makes her unapproachable.

    In addition, if she hurts her legs she can’t feel it and would have no idea. She can’t drive in a conventional way. And worst of all, she suffers daily from autonomic dysreflexia, a life-threatening emergency that affects people with spinal cord injuries at the T6 level or higher.

    Every single day of her life, her body attacks itself “because it is in complete confusion,” she said. “For example, if I do not use the bathroom on time, my blood pressure will skyrocket, I will start sweating profusely, have shortness of breath, and turn extremely red. In short, if I go long hours without using the bathroom, I could potentially die.”

    Taking to TikTok 

    Tawil wants people to know how she lives her daily life and share what life is like for a wheelchair user. She also wants the channel to act as a personal blog so people can get to know her on a personal level.

    “When posting, I not only wanted to speak my truth (because the justice system failed me) but I also wanted to be the voice inside a young girl’s head when making a fast and questionable decision,” she said, reflecting on her own experience going to an ill-fated hangout.

    In one of her viral videos, she tries to teach people an exercise to show how it feels to be paralyzed and people were traumatized after trying it:

    “Not many people know too much about paraplegics and their capabilities, so I wanted to be that light to inform, educate, and even entertain people! Out of the hundreds upon thousands of people that follow me, if I am able to directly affect one person, then I’ve done everything I’ve hoped of doing.”

    It’s safe to say her videos are affecting millions. You can follow her and show her some love on TikTok and Instagram (jesstawil).

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For You

    nada koussa miss world miss lebanon 961

    Nada Koussa Just Left To Represent Lebanon At Miss World

    massad boulos

    Massad Boulos Was Just Appointed By Trump As Senior Advisor for Middle Eastern Affairs

    30 under 30

    Meet The 20 Lebanese Who Made It On Forbes’ 30 Under 30

    donald trump 961

    Donald Trump Just Won The US Presidential Elections

    us presidency

    Who Do Lebanese Want to Win the US Presidency? We Asked, Here Are the Results

    lebanese execs

    17 Lebanese Execs Just Dominated The Forbes Middle East’s ‘Global Meets Local’ 2024 List

    Ampere Cinema Reopens Its Doors In North Lebanon After 28 Years Of Absence

    20 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Had Lebanese Roots

    April 22, 2019
    saint levant aub outdoors 2025 961

    Saint Levant Is Officially Headlining AUB Outdoors 2025!

    May 7, 2025
    aub outdoors 2025

    Here’s Everything You Need To Know About AUB Outdoors This Weekend

    May 21, 2025

    Lebanon’s Shawarma Is Going Viral in The Philippines

    April 21, 2019
    Tamara El-Zein 961

    Who is Tamara El-Zein, Lebanon’s New Minister of Environment

    February 11, 2025

    10+ Day Trips You Can Take In Lebanon That Are 30 Mins, 1 hour, And 2 Hours Away From Beirut!

    June 12, 2017
    dew apparel nada koussa miss lebanon 961

    Miss Lebanon Nada Koussa Just Launched A Sportswear Brand

    May 3, 2025

    20 Typical Lebanese Slang Expressions

    April 21, 2020
    Lebanese boutiques

    25 Boutiques In Lebanon To Find Your Dream Evening Dress This Wedding Season

    June 9, 2024
    961 Logo
    Facebook WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

    Popular Topics

    • Guides
    • Eat & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Lebanon News
    • Diaspora
    • Explained

    961

    • About
    • WhatsApp Channel
    • News WhatsApp Channel
    • Corrections Policy
    • Ownership & Funding

    Services

    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • App Waitlist
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter
    961™ | All Rights Reserved ©2025
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Okay