Abby Connolly
Jodie also mentions that before she had a daughter with Tourette’s, she made the common assumption that the disorder only involved people “just shouting and swearing.”
Jodie’s videos often show Nicole doing every day activities by herself or with her family and provide ways for their viewers to see how her tics appear during different situations.
For example, one video shows their family seated at the table for dinner. While they eat, Nicole has occasional tics that involve eating from other plates, whistling, dropping her silverware, throwing her arms up, nodding her head, etc.
Although the family is used to it, and the meal seems to go on just fine, Jodie does point out in her captions that the disorder “can make simple tasks near impossible” when the tics are active.
Jodie also is often answering questions that TikTok viewers ask her in the comments by creating response videos.
For instance, when a viewer asked if Nicole can swim while she’s having tics, Jodie responded by filming Nicole in the pool with her family, experiencing some tics but still having a good time.
Jodie adds additional information in the captions for viewers, mentioning that Nicole is supervised by an adult in the pool and goes to the shallow end if she feels like her tics are getting out of hand.
Although Jodie and Nicole have lots of support from followers, the internet can still be an ugly place. In the Born Different episode, Nicole spoke about how some commenters claim that she is faking her Tourette’s for attention.
“Of course, trolls are gonna be there,” says Nicole in the video. “There are, of course, going to be loads of people that don’t believe me or think that I’m faking it for some sort of attention. But there’s kind of a point where you don’t need to care what people say.”
Despite the occasional internet troll, the family continues to receive love and even thanks online. TikTok users appreciate the opportunity to see how a modern teenager and her family live with Tourette’s while trying to deflate any harmful stigmas around it.
We wish Nicole, Jodie, and their family all the best!
