Abby Connolly
An inspiring woman has developed a supportive following on TikTok as she makes videos with and about her teenage daughter to educate people on the reality of Tourette syndrome.
Jodie Lynn is a mother of three, including her daughter Nicole, who has Tourette’s. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH) defines Tourette syndrome as a “neurological disorder characterized by sudden, repetitive, rapid, and unwanted movements or vocal sounds called tics.”
Nicole also has a functional neurological disorder (FND), which causes “abnormality in how the brain functions,” according to the NIH.
Nicole started developing physical and vocal tics just before her 14th birthday.
“Before my tics started, I had a life like any other 13-year-old,” says Nicole in an episode of Truly’s web series, Born Different. “Life is so much more different than what it was.”
Nicole is a bright young woman who keeps a smile on her face and is great at making her family laugh. Despite Nicole’s ability to maintain life as an average teenager, her mom, Jodie, began filming TikTok videos that would highlight the ups and downs that come with having Tourette’s.
In one of her videos, Jodie mentions that she wanted to highlight how Nicole and her tics can range from being “adorable to terrifying, and from heartbreaking to horrific.”
“I’m trying to show all the sides of Tourette’s,” says Jodie.
TikTok; pictured above is Jodie in one of her videos
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