A teenager left paralysed from the waist down after surgery following a brutal assault has taken to social media to share her harrowing story.

Chelsea Flynn's videos charting her shock diagnosis and slow road to recovery following an extremely rare reaction to anaesthetic have racked up more than three million views on TikTok.

The schoolgirl was just 15 when she was attacked from behind by another girl while walking her dog in a Thanet park, leaving her with a severely dislocated jaw.

But little did she know, it was just the start of her nightmare.

Seven operations later, she was expecting to be allowed home from the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford following day surgery to have screws and bands removed from her jaw.

However, when she woke from the anaesthetic, she says her brain "just stopped functioning".

“I woke up paralysed," Chelsea, now 19, explained.

“I remember feeling that something was stopping my legs from moving, like there was nothing there.

“I managed to lift my head up and tried to move my legs, but I just couldn’t.

"At first I wasn’t that worried because I thought it was just the anaesthetic, but as the hours went on I started to get really frightened.”

Once doctors realised Chelsea’s paralysis may be more than a temporary reaction, she was transferred to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital for more tests.

There, she was diagnosed with a functional neurological disorder (FND) - which is a problem with the how the nervous system sends signals to and from the brain and body - and told she may never walk again.

“My life flashed before my eyes," she said.

“I had taken so many things for granted, even just getting up in the morning and walking around the house.

“I didn’t realise all of that could be taken away from me.”

At first, the teenager and her family were furious at the doctors, thinking some mistake had been made during the surgery.

But after the hospital carried out an investigation, it was found no error had been made and the FND was caused by a one-in-a-million chance reaction to the anaesthetic.

Since her diagnosis, Chelsea’s life has revolved around her recovery.

After months of care at the K&C, she is now staying at a special rehabilitation centre for people with neurological problems and brain injuries in London, where she receives occupational, physical, psychological and neuropsychiatric therapy.

Although some of her doctors say she will have to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life, Chelsea remains hopeful.

“I believe in myself that I will walk again, because I’ve got such a positive attitude and that’s the only way I’m ever going to be able to get back on my feet," she said.

“That’s the big goal, but I’ve also got a lot of little goals that I’m working towards day by day, like just being able to make a little movement in my leg.

“But it’s difficult to maintain that positivity when you’re staying at a place away from your family and friends.”

One source of encouragement for Chelsea has been the huge support from her online community.

Since she started making videos about her experience on TikTok, Chelsea has gained thousands of followers and racked up almost three million views.

She says being open about her condition has helped with her psychological recovery.

“I started making videos on TikTok to raise awareness of FND and share my story, but I had no idea it would get me this far," she said.

“It’s been lovely to see other people with FND, to talk to them and help them, one person commented saying that I was an inspiration and that’s just lovely.

“When I help other people, it also makes me feel really good about myself.

“I tell others who have FND ‘No matter what people say to you, never give up - you’ve got to be strong.’”