Overview

• Hayley Black, 36, says a reflexive yawn in 2016 displaced her C6–C7 vertebrae, compressing her spinal cord and causing right-side paralysis.
• Initial scans reportedly showed nothing before further tests identified the injury, prompting emergency discectomy and fusion.
• Surgeons warned of roughly even odds of survival or walking, and she later relearned to walk after months in a wheelchair.
• She reports permanent nerve damage, daily medication and a fibromyalgia diagnosis, with lasting impacts on work and housing.
• Her recent TikTok post spurred wide coverage of her case and her call for self-advocacy and awareness of hidden disabilities; reports cite her account with no independent medical records published.