A TikTok video showing a man berating a woman with a chronic illness for using a wheelchair has gone viral, sparking widespread outrage. The creator, who uses the handle @lil_tachy, documented the encounter from her car after the man confronted her in a parking lot and questioned why she needed a wheelchair if she could walk.
Despite her attempts to explain her condition, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), the man mocked her and accused her of faking her disability. The video quickly spread across TikTok, with millions of viewers expressing disbelief and anger at the man’s ableist behavior.
On April 24, 2025, TikTok user Kirsten (@lil_tachy) posted a video called “Yelled at for using a wheelchair.” The video begins when Kirsten noticed a man approaching her vehicle. She then rolled down the window and asked him if there was a problem. The video—which was being recorded from the creator’s steering wheel—never showed the man’s identity, just his voice as he spoke.
“Yeah, excuse me but I noticed you got a wheelchair, why do you need a wheelchair?” The man asked. “You can obviously walk.” Kirsten explained that she had an autonomic nervous system disorder, but the man abruptly cuts her off, only hearing the word “auto.” “You have an automobile, obviously, you have an automobile,” he said.
The creator then took a different approach, saying that she had Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. But the man just got angrier, accusing Kirsten of smoking pot and “forgetting how to walk.”
After Kirsten explained that if she walks too long, she’ll faint, the man said “yeah right,” and calls her a faker. He then accused her of “pretending to have conditions just to get disability,” and reiterates that he hated “you people.” As Kirsten looked at the camera in disbelief, the video concluded with the man ranting, “can’t stand you, total fakers.”
‘Literally just minding my own business’
The creator gave a bit more context for the situation and her disability in the video’s caption.”Pulled out my camera because this guy was watching me load my wheelchair back into my car after being in the store with it,” it read. “I’ve had POTS for 7 years now and most of the time, I don’t need a wheelchair, but there are times where I can’t get around without one.”
The creator went on to say that she was not bothering anybody, or even using a handicap spot. “Long story short, I don’t use the wheelchair unless I need to. I wasn’t in a handicap spot, I wasn’t in this guys way or impeding his ability to shop. Literally just minding my own business.”
@lil_tachy Pulled out my camera because this guy was watching me load my wheelchair back into my car after being in the store with it. I’ve had POTS for 7 years now and most of the time, I don’t need a wheelchair, but ther are times where I can’t get around without one. I went through a 4 month long flare where I couldn’t leave the house at all unless I was in a wheelchair, and I’m just now starting to come out of that flare. Long story short, I don’t use the wheelchair unless I need to. I wasn’t in a handicap spot, I wasn’t in this guys way or impeding his ability to shop. Literally just minding my own business. #xyzbca #chronicillness #chronicallyill #pots #posturalorthostatictachycardiasyndrome #dysautonomia #dysautonomiaawareness #wheelchair #ambulatorywheelchairuser #disability #karan ♬ original sound – Kirsten🏳️🌈
‘I would be feral if I witnessed this’
The video garnered 10 million views, over 986,000 likes and over 41,000 comments. Commenters responded unanimously with outrage, disgust, disbelief.
“You people anger me. Same bud,” read one comment. “So he thinks ppl buy hella expensive medical equipment for the plot?” Another comment asked. “I would be feral if I witnessed this,” read another.
Other angry comments made recommendations on how the user should’ve reacted. “Do not ever roll down your window for anybody, especially not a strange man that looks angry,” one comment read. “You don’t owe him any explanations,” read another. “This is when assault should be legal,” another comment read. “Just saying.”
What is POTS?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Postural Orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (commonly known as POTS) is a condition that causes various symptoms when the affected is transitioning from lying down to standing up. These symptoms can include a faster heart rate, dizziness and fatigue.
While there’s no cure, several treatments and lifestyle changes can help manage the symptoms of POTS, and the syndrome can greatly interfere with normal activities and day-to-day tasks.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @lil_tachy via direct message on TikTok. The creator did not immediately respond to the request for comment.
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