Woman left suddenly unable to walk after stepping outside of house to smoke cigarette

A mom from Texas has shared how she lost the ability to walk after stepping outside for a cigarette.

Carmen Patin had been taking a quick break at her house in Wichita Falls in Texas.

The mom had popped outside for a cigarette, and was walking back inside when suddenly her legs gave way from underneath her.

Her husband rushed the 53-year-old to hospital where she would stay for the next 12 days.

Speaking about her shock at how quickly the symptoms had come on, she told KFDX: "I literally was paralyzed."

She added: "I couldn’t hardly move; I couldn’t think, I couldn’t speak. I mean, I was totally out of it, and just like my legs were completely incapacitated."

Now Carmen is wheelchair bound and needs support in hospital in the day to day.

She said: "I have to have help to go into the bathroom. I have to have help getting dressed. I have to have help getting in and out of bed."

But what on earth happened?

Carmen had just stepped out for a cigarette. (NBC/KFDX-TV)

Initially medics had treated Carmen for meningitis, but further testing on her spine revealed that this was not actually the case.

Unfortunately, doctors found that Carmen had contracted a condition called West Nile virus.

This is a disease which is spread through mosquito bites and which causes West Nile Fever.

While most of the time symptoms will be fairly mild, in some patients it can cause severe symptoms, including paralysis.

Carmen was transferred to Encompass Health Rehab Hospital where she is receiving treatment with physio and occupational therapists.

Carmen is now receiving rehabilitative treatment. (NBC/KFDX-TV)

She said: "I had a big garden in my backyard; we have an above-ground swimming pool and things like that. I’ve got seven grandkids, you know, and I can’t do any of that now."

Now, the mom wants to draw attention to the dangers of mosquito bites and is encouraging others to take some basic precautions to protect themselves.

She said: "I thought it was some, you know, little virus you get. You get a little sick or flu-like symptoms, and, you know, you’ll be fine.

"But that wasn’t the case with me."

There have been 18 cases of West Nile virus in Texas in 2024, the highest state in the US for the disease.

Nationwide there have been 103 cases according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease is mostly spread via mosquito bites, and there is currently no human vaccine.