New Jersey-based influencer Jessica Tawil, who has been paralysed from the waist down for a decade, has left the internet emotional with her latest reel. Known for her inspiring content about life with a disability, Jessica’s recent video shows her standing and walking again with the help of advanced mobility technology.
'It’s been 10 years since I’ve stood on my two feet…'
The video, titled “It’s been 10 years since I’ve stood on my two feet… Watch my dream come true,” captures Jessica’s raw emotions as she takes her first steps in ten years. Overcome with disbelief and joy, she exclaimed, “Oh my god!!”, calling it “probably one of the most surreal moments of my life.” With a laugh, she joked, “And the most terrifying.”
As she continued walking, Jessica shared, “In this moment, I felt alive — like I was reconnecting with the version of myself I thought I’d lost after the accident.” Her happiness was palpable as she smiled and said, “This is so much fun. I’m walking.”
Internet reacts
The heartwarming video quickly went viral, with thousands of users praising her strength and the power of modern innovation. “This is the real purpose of technology 👏,” commented one. Another wrote, “I’m crying. My heart says you’ll be walking on your own soon ❤️.” Many celebrated how such technology could transform lives, calling it “the future of accessibility”.
Jessica’s car accident
Jessica’s journey began after a tragic car accident on November 15, 2014, which left her paralysed. The incident happened when she went to a friend's house in high school without realising that there would also be men she had never met before. Their presence of drink and drugs made Jessica uneasy.
"When I eventually asked them to take me home, they took me to an abandoned road instead. 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," she said in an interview with BuzzFeed.
"It was at this moment that I got whiplash, split my head open to the point where my skull was exposed, and sustained a spinal cord injury — leaving me paralysed the moment we crashed," she explained.
Jessica further added, "Paramedics said that I lost the equivalent of 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. So they drove me to a nearby soccer field where a helicopter airlifted me to the ICU. From there on, I went through seven months of rehab and remained permanently paralysed and wheelchair bound."
