Fitness Influencer Maria Palen’s Life Turned Upside Down by Rare Tick-Borne Illness
- Jun 27
- 3 min read
27 June 2025
Maria Palen, a 31-year-old fitness influencer and former chemical engineer from California, built her life around health as a plant-based eater, regular hiker, and trusted guide to 23 million Instagram followers. Yet a seemingly innocuous tick bite in early 2024 unleashed unimaginable consequences. What began as minor aches and fatigue rapidly escalated into a life-altering illness known as babesiosis, leaving her partially paralyzed and fighting to reclaim her independence.
By March of that year, things had taken a dramatic turn. Maria found herself suddenly unable to stand or sit without agonizing pain. Morning routines and daily activities, driving, opening her phone became excruciating. She lost twenty pounds, was bedridden, and endured crippling fatigue. Medical tests initially pointed to an autoimmune disorder, but further investigation revealed the true culprit: Babesia, a rare parasite transmitted by ticks that attacks red blood cells and can trigger a severe inflammatory response.
An October hospitalization confirmed the worst. Full-body numbness had spread upward from her legs to her torso, and her spinal fluid showed alarmingly high white blood cell levels evidence of inflammation around her spinal cord. Doctors treated her with aggressive antibiotics and pinpointed Lyme disease as a potential co-infection, but the neurological damage had already taken hold.
Babesiosis is rare fewer than 3,000 U.S. cases occur each year but it can be deadly without prompt treatment. Maria’s drastic decline underscored just how devastating tick-borne illnesses can be, especially when symptoms mimic far more common conditions like Lyme disease or autoimmune disorders.
In the months that followed Maria faced a new reality. She lost her job, her home, and a sense of who she once was. She moved in with family in Texas and launched a GoFundMe campaign to manage mounting medical bills and rehabilitation costs a fundraiser that has since brought in over $12,000.
Despite the hardships, Maria’s resolve remains remarkable. She’s now undergoing daily physical therapy and has begun relearning basic movements, side steps, leg raises though she still cannot bend her knees. Her medical team estimates a 33 percent chance of full recovery, 33 percent for partial recovery, and 33 percent chance that the paralysis could be permanent.
She shares each milestone with transparency and grace, choosing vulnerability as a form of empowerment. In December, she posted a video detailing her journey from initial tailbone pain to sudden weakness and paralysis, alongside desperate hospital interventions and the terror of losing control over her own body .
Maria’s followers have responded with overwhelming support, sharing messages of love, prayers, and resilience. Many express gratitude for her candidness, noting how rare it is to see such raw honesty from someone perceived as the picture of peak health .
Her ordeal also sparked practical guidance around tick prevention. Public health experts stress the importance of dressing appropriately for outdoor activities, wearing long pants and light clothing performing diligent tick checks, and knowing how to remove tick bites safely to reduce the risk of infection.
Maria’s story is a jarring reminder that no one is immune to sudden illness, no matter how strong or disciplined one may appear. She went from posting workout plans to fighting for mobility a dramatic shift that highlights the unpredictable, often horrifying nature of health crises.
Yet there is beauty in her tenacity. Peloton videos and spa shots have been replaced by grim hospital halls and resistance bands. But every incremental gain represents more than physical progress, it signifies a reclaiming of agency, of a life nearly lost to a microscopic invader.
Health professionals echo the same message: increased awareness, early detection, and rapid treatment can make all the difference in tick-borne disease outcomes. Maria hopes her visibility can become a public service, urging others to remain vigilant and proactive.
As she continues her rehab journey, her spirit speaks volumes: that hope is not just a feeling, but a choice. She may not have chosen the path, but she is determined to walk it, literally one step at a time.
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