A family camping trip turned to panic when four-year-old Madeline Tuckwiller became paralyzed after a giant tick embedded itself in her scalp. 

Taylor Justice and her family went on a two-day camping trip earlier this month to celebrate Mother's Day. 

However, the 31-year-old was left 'terrified' when her 'perfectly healthy' daughter woke up five days later unable to walk.

Justice, a salon owner from White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, said: 'It was terrifying. My perfectly healthy four year old not being able to walk scared me. I had no idea [what was wrong with her].

'We went camping on Mother's day weekend so [the tick] had been there for a couple of days.

'As soon as she woke up she couldn't walk and she was crawling on the floor. Think of somebody that's been intoxicated by alcohol. That's why we took her to the hospital.'

After rushing her to the emergency department, doctors found a dime-sized tick latched onto Madeline's head, which was causing tick paralysis, a rare and life-threatening condition caused by a neurotoxin released by certain ticks.

Justice added: 'The paralysis affected her whole body and she was unable to make eye contact with anybody. It caused complete paralysis from the bottom and it was working its way up to her hands and her head and she was not even able to sit up.' 

Madeline and her family spent the weekend camping to celebrate Mother's Day

Taylor Justice had to pull her daughter around the hospital in a wagon because Madeline couldn't walk by herself

Tick paralysis is rare and there is no formal monitoring of the condition, so it is unknown how many cases occur per year. It's been documented worldwide and is more commonly seen in children and adult men.

It has also been documented in animals. 

The paralysis is caused by a neurotoxin from tick saliva, and the condition has been associated with 40 different species. In North America, most cases are associated with the American dog tick and the Rocky Mountain wood tick. 

If the condition is caught early and the tick is removed, paralysis will reverse and a complete recovery is expected, typically within 24 hours. 

If not diagnosed and left to advance, it can lead to respiratory failure and death. 

Symptoms include weakness, paralysis beginning in the legs and rising, loss of coordination, difficulty breathing and paralysis of the respiratory muscles. 

They usually occur two to seven days after a tick bite.  

After being rushed to the hospital, doctors ran tests and did a CT scan on Madeline that revealed no significant findings.

Doctors then referred her to a more advanced children's hospital three hours away where a neurologist performed tests on her to check the toddler's reflexes.

Doctors discovered a female Rocky Mountain wood tick, which has toxic saliva that caused paralysis in Madeline

Madeline's mom said the family is always outside and will be vigilant about checking for ticks from now on

Justice said: 'The next morning [the neurosurgeon] came in and he noticed she couldn't use her hands. We tried to play [a game] and she couldn't pick up the checkers to put them in.

'He said "something's not right" and all of a sudden, he just asked "are you guys outside a lot?" We live outside and our family goes camping.

'As soon as he asked, he checked her head. Two seconds later he said he'd found the diagnosis and it was the tick.

The neurologist discovered a female Rocky Mountain wood tick on her head.

Justice continued: 'I felt sick and I wanted it removed immediately. It was in her blood. Only females produce that neurotoxin in their saliva and whenever they bite their saliva produces a numbing agent so Madeline wouldn't feel it.

'They were concerned it could cause Lyme disease because it can cause long term effects on children and adults.'

Lyme disease is another tick-borne illness, but it is not caused by a neurotoxin as with tick paralysis. Lyme is a bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms and it is not reversible by simply removing the tick - doctors must prescribe antibiotics. 

Madeline's mom, Justice (left), said she was terrified when her daughter woke up not being able to walk

Madeline was able to walk again four hours after the tick was removed

Once her doctors realized the cause of her paralysis, they removed the tick from her head.  

Madeline was able to walk again four hours after the tick was removed and she was given a dose of doxycycline - an antibiotic - to reduce the risk of Lyme disease.

Following the ordeal, Justice said she will now 'be so vigilant' about carrying tick repellant and checking Madeline for ticks and urges other parents to do the same.

She said: 'I never thought a tick bite would lead to all this. I've never seen anything like it before. She still wakes up in the morning and her legs are a little stiff but once she starts walking throughout the day it's like normal again.

'Check your kids [for tick bites] and be adamant about checking their heads, behind their ears and even their waistline. There's a possibility that could happen.'