Isabelle Weall, a 21-year-old social media influencer from Derby, is like many young women her age. She enjoys spending time with her friends, going on holiday, going to the gym and creating content for TikTok and Instagram. Isabelle is also a quadruple amputee who lost her arms and legs to meningitis at the age of seven. Despite this, she’s fiercely independent and determined to live her life just like everybody else around her.
Recently, Isabelle joined us at a university awareness event, where she opened up about her experiences and shared her story with us.
How did you become a quadruple amputee?
When I was seven, I started feeling unwell at school. It seemed like a regular illness at first but by the evening, my symptoms worsened and my parents noticed strange bruising on my skin. Paramedics suspected meningitis immediately and rushed me to the hospital. Everything escalated so quickly that I was put into an induced coma that evening. During that time, my limbs began to die due to the infection and my family were told I had less than a 1% chance of survival. When I woke up, my limbs were still attached to me but were dead, so it was clear that amputation was the only option.
How have you adjusted to life as a quadruple amputee?
The adjustment was really tough initially, but I was a resilient kid. While in the hospital, doctors and nurses taught me to use my limbs and gave me straps to hold pencils and cutlery. By the time I left the hospital, I was writing and feeding myself. Over time, I’ve learned to navigate different scenarios with my disability, but I’ve always been determined to have as much independence as possible.
As I got older, I started facing new things like starting secondary school or getting my first period – it was definitely an extra challenge with my disability. Whether it’s driving, working full time, or cooking, I just learn a way to do things that suits me best.
I’m really independent, I live alone, and my car is adapted so I can drive myself. People are often surprised at how little I rely on specific adaptations and how seamlessly I fit into everyday life.
As a minority, I live with the understanding that not every public space is accessible, so I need to be confident navigating that. I do prepare before I go somewhere new, though, so I’ll research where I can park and what the access is like, but details like whether it’s on a hill isn’t available, which might seem really minor to able-bodied people. It’s much more difficult to walk uphill and I get tired out more easily, so knowing this information beforehand is always helpful.
What was it like being a teenager and young adult?
I did have a bit of a tough time at school. Initially, everyone was nice but eventually, I ended up being bullied and had very few friends. The same challenges followed into secondary school with people making nasty comments about me, but when I started posting online, I was exposed to negativity on a bigger level. Growing up with a disability is not the difficult part, the difficult part is people around you. No one ever sees you as the same and that is really difficult.
It’s hard to deal with sometimes but I just continue to be myself and not let people stop me. I also find the best way to respond to negative comments is by continuing to educate people.
I had a terrible time with boys at school. One of my biggest concerns, as I was getting older, was whether anyone would ever want to be in a relationship with me. I know that I’m different but with dating, I felt like my disability was always ‘there’. Luckily, I met my boyfriend and he doesn’t see me as any different. He understands that my disability is a part of me, and he loves me regardless of whether I’m disabled or not – he loves me for me, which is great.
How did you get into posting online and why is it important for you to share your story?
I started posting lifestyle content as a teenager. I loved trampolining and did makeup videos which went viral - people were praising me but were also shocked. There were negative comments too but overall, I wanted to show others that someone with a disability can live a normal life.
When I first became an amputee many people encouraged me to pursue sports. They’d say, “You can be a Paralympian now!” While I understand the intention, I didn’t enjoy sports that much and just wanted to live a normal life. For years, I felt pressure to follow the path of becoming a paralympic sportsperson but it wasn’t for me. By sharing content online, I hope to show people that being an amputee doesn’t mean you have to fit into a mould – you can simply live a normal life. It would’ve been nice to have a role model like that when I was younger.
What is something that you’ve learned or accomplished that might surprise people?
People are often shocked to learn that I live alone. There is always an assumption that I need constant help. I’ve worked really hard to be able to do things on my own, so not being given the recognition for that is really frustrating.
When I first posted about driving online, I got so much backlash from people questioning whether it was safe. I had to do a medical assessment, passed my theory and practical test and drive a fully adapted vehicle. It’s completely safe but the criticism was hard.
