After a car accident in 2019, Becca noticed that she was doing strange things – what she now knows were tics. They began with her taking sudden gasps for breath and in just over a year her tics became more intense and gradually became words and more extreme movements. In October 2020, she was eventually diagnosed with Tourette’s at the age of 21, despite doctors telling her she was too old to develop the condition.
Becca said: “Having Tourette’s has been really hard to get to grips with. My life has been turned upside down.” Prior to her diagnosis, she had hopes of going to university and studying midwifery, but this is now impossible as she is a health hazard due to her uncontrollable tics and seizures.
In trying to make light of her new situation, Becca decided to post videos on TikTok showing what life is like with the condition. She said: “I wanted to show other people living with Tourette’s that they are not alone, we are in this together.
“I also hope to educate people who have not got Tourette’s by answering any questions they have and showing them that we are human too.”
Becca’s account @tourettesbian, has now surpassed 200,000 followers and her videos get millions of views. Her content varies from light-hearted karaoke videos in which she laughs at her tics changing the lyrics, and very serious footage of her moments before a seizure or during a tic attack.
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Becca said: “There is a misconception surrounding Tourette’s that we are always shouting and being disruptive, but that’s not true. Most people have probably sat next to someone with Tourette’s and not even realised.
“There are a lot of people living with the condition but there is no support to help us lead a normal life. I am still a person; I have got an education and I have got things I like to do. I don’t just shout and swear all the time.”
In the future, Becca would like to get more Tourette’s education in schools in the hope that if people are educated at a younger age, there will not be as much stigma when they reach adulthood. She also wants to educate workplaces about how to deal with employees living with the condition in the hope of more jobs being available.
