Is MrBallen paralyzed? Is MrBallen in a wheelchair?
Short answer – No, MrBallen is not paralyzed. After surviving a near-death experience in Afghanistan, John Allen, better known as MrBallen, turned to storytelling and discovered his passion for sharing strange, dark, and mysterious stories with his followers.
Introduction
When Jonathan B. Allen tells a story, true crime fans across YouTube listen.
Intently.
Such is the charisma of this Wollaston native turned Navy SEAL turned YouTube spooky storytelling celebrity.
With millions of YouTube subscribers tuning in to hear what macabre story MrBallen has on offer—two or three times a week—Allen has created a pretty comfortable spot for himself amongst the social media platform’s true crime influencers.
He’s got a hunger for all things dark and mysterious, and fans have a hunger for all things related to MrBallen.
It’s not all about his stories, either.
Fans want to know what he did as a Navy SEAL.
They want to know why he retired.
They want to know where he’s from, what he does outside of telling creepy stories, and they want to know how he’s coped with his experiences.
Many even ask the question: is MrBallen paralyzed?
Here are all the answers you need.
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Where is Jonathan from?
Jonathan Allen grew up just outside of Boston in a place called Quincy, Massachusetts.
He’s got two sisters, his mom is a freelance writer, and his dad is a journalist.
Allen says that while his dad’s knowledge has helped him to value research, he hadn’t been interested in storytelling as a kid.
Having two experienced writers in the family definitely set Allen up for success.
He was accepted into the University of Massachusetts in Amherst—mainly, he admits, because his mother helped him write his essays.
MrBallen was a pretty average student in high school, and then again in college—he dropped out after one semester.
He tried again, though, completing three semesters in Boston while living in his mom’s basement.
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How did MrBallen become a Navy SEAL?
At a loss for what to do after he left college, Jonathan considered joining the military.
His mother, eager to help him find his path when he was floundering, got him in touch with some family friends—both of whom were Navy SEALs.
In December of 2010, he headed off to boot camp and began training to become a SEAL.
Allen describes his time with the military as “intense,” and while he enjoyed the camaraderie and brotherhood, and the opportunities he was afforded as a Navy SEAL, it wasn’t all as easy as people might think.
Especially after he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014.
Why did MrBallen retire from the military?
While he was in Afghanistan, Allen’s platoon was caught up in a firefight.
At one point, a grenade ricocheted off his shoulder and exploded, sending damaging shrapnel into Allen’s lower body.
Talking about that time in an interview some years later, Jonathan explained that:
“I went deaf and blind and thought I was going to die.”
Allen was losing too much blood, but the quick reaction of his unit’s medic ultimately saved his life.
A helicopter airlifted him out of the combat zone.
Within weeks, Jonathan was back Stateside to make a recovery—but the close brush with death made him re-evaluate what mattered.
As he had laid there bleeding out in Afghanistan, Jonathan’s biggest regret had been not starting a family with his wife.
This, he decided, was his priority.
At the end of his military contract, Allen was medically retired from the Navy.
How did MrBallen cope with his experiences?
It wasn’t easy, according to the honest and transparent former military man.
He panicked—as many retired service people do—about what he would do next.
Fortunately, Allen had the support of his wife and family, and a plan.
He founded Elite Meet with a group of special ops veterans, to support others like him in finding employment.
He also worked alongside Operators Association, a not-for-profit organization that helps coach aspiring Navy Seals and special ops trainees through training.
Is MrBallen paralyzed?
So, fans are wondering if MrBallen is paralyzed.
No.
Check him out on Instagram, he has made a full recovery after his ordeal in Afghanistan.
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How did he get famous?
In a nutshell: he told creepy stories.
In 2020, the retired SEAL posted a video to his TikTok account about the Dyatlov Pass incident in the late 1950s.
The incident, which involved the deaths of nine hikers, fascinated Allen.
He posted his story, took off to a water park for a day with the family, and when he checked his phone next, he “thought there was a glitch” with his phone.
His video had 5 million views.
Johnathan has the kind of storytelling charisma and expert delivery that makes viewers engage.
It’s not just the stories—because there are countless people telling the same stories about haunted houses and gory crimes.
And it’s not a shock factor, either—Allen rarely relies on graphics.
The genius of his method is in his simplicity, his authenticity, and his production value.
He’s also hungry for details and spares none in the pursuit of giving his fans the whole story.
As many fans say, listening to MrBallen is like listening to a buddy who just happens to be really good at spinning a good story.
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