An aspiring model who was on the verge of signing with his dream agency has been left paralysed from the chest down after diving head-first into a shallow pool he claims was mislabelled.
Isaac Lambert was just 19 when the dive, during a day out with his dad, uncles and aunts, left him unable to move. Doctors later told him he had “zero chance” of recovery.
Now 27, Isaac has gone viral after sharing his story online for the first time, opening up about the dark days when he “didn’t want to continue with life”.
READ MORE: ‘I found love in Mounjaro support group after my ex called me fat DAILY’
The clip has racked up more than 1.4 million views and 56,000 likes on Instagram.
Sharing the video, he wrote: “Learning to live again. Ask me anything, no question is off limits.”
In the video, Isaac, who is from Orange County, California, said: “One day, you’re a 19-year-old model moments away from signing with your dream agency, the next day you’re waking up paralysed from the chest down, being told you have zero chance of recovery.
“I do want to preface by saying I’m not looking for pity from anyone. Although my situation isn’t ideal, I’m still incredibly blessed.”
He added: “Long story short, I dove into a shallow pool that was mislabelled, but seven surgeries later, here I am. Breathing, alive and s**t, and I guess now on TikTok.”
In the clip, Isaac, who describes himself as a quadriplegic, explains he is sharing his story on social media for the first time to build a community, saying he is finally ready to stop hiding.
Recalling the moment he hit the water in 2019, Isaac said: “I had hit my head and instantly couldn’t move.
“My family thought I was faking when I was screaming, ‘Come get me.’ Growing up, I was known to exaggerate.”
His dad carried him out of the pool, and one of his uncles, who had been taking a medical course, knew to lay him in a specific position because of the suspected neck injury.
“Crazy enough, once I was put in that position I no longer felt pain,” Isaac said.
He was rushed to hospital and stayed conscious until he was sedated.
“I then woke up to the news that I had zero chance of recovering,” he said.
He said: “I’m paralysed from the chest down. I’ve had seven surgeries, and I was told I had zero chance of recovery.
“I have control of my wrists, biceps and shoulders. I have spotty feeling in my forearms. I have no feeling or control of everything from the nipple line down, and no feeling or control of my triceps and fingers.”
Before the accident, Isaac said modelling had felt like a natural path.
“I was a popular, good-looking, athletic kid all my life,” he said. “A typical Orange County kid. A kid that lived fearlessly and probably arrogantly had all the confidence in the world.
“Modelling came about because all my life that’s what people told me.”
Now, he says, his independence has been “stripped in ways most couldn’t imagine”.
“I learn more about myself each and every day by overcoming this mentally and physically challenging feat, but I’m still Isaac,” he said.
“Still the same Orange County kid.”
Isaac admitted the diagnosis pushed him to breaking point.
“I would be lying if I said this accident didn’t and doesn’t take a toll on my mental health,” he said.
“I’m not exactly sure how I finally got around to posting on social media about my accident, because initially, when the doctor told me I had zero chance of recovering and that I’d be in a wheelchair and quadriplegic for life… I didn’t want to continue with life.
“I remember telling my mother, and asking her to tell my two best friends, KZ Okpala and Andrew Lamp, that I couldn’t go on.
“I guess by the grace of God I moved past that dark time and those oh so dark thoughts, to now be persevering through life one day at a time.
“For seven years I’ve been a shell of myself, because I’ve wanted to speak out for so long but, to be frank, I was too scared,” he said.
“I’m no longer scared to advocate for myself and my needs, whether it’s physically or mentally.”
He added: “Now, when I look in the mirror, I see a dog and a warrior. Does self-doubt come from time to time? Yeah, sure, whatever.
“I don’t like lying and love to be candid, so yeah. I feel like lying is such a scared thing to do. I used to lie, especially to myself, but now I’m an open book because I’ve seen the bottom. I’ve seen the real bottom and that’s my newfound power.
“This newfound confidence allows me to enter any room and not worry about what others think.”
Isaac said fashion has helped him cope, particularly his collection of vintage band T-shirts, which remind him of the room full of band posters his dad had when he was growing up.
“Wearing these shirts is almost like dopamine dressing for me. I won’t lie, I was only recently introduced to this term. But it so resonates with me,” he said.
“As I collect these shirts and wake up and pull out one of those shirts, I’m not just wearing some dark metal graphic tee that’s quite hyped these days in particular streetwear niches, I’m actually carrying a memory of my dad, of that room, of who I was before, my innocence and who I still am.
“No matter what kind of day it is, that’s one thing I always get to choose.”
He hasn’t given up on modelling either.
“Fashion has always been a huge part of who I am,” he said.
“I was modelling before my injury, and that love never went away. If the opportunity presents itself, I’d be more than open to modelling again.”
He said he is now “learning to live again through Faith”.
He added: “My goals haven’t disappeared. They’ve shifted, and in a lot of ways they’ve gotten clearer.”
READ MORE: ‘I had to beg for help as my daughter was dying because NHS rules said she wasn’t eligible’
