Irish Influencer Rebekah O’Leary, also known as Rebekah With Love, has candidly opened up about her secret health battle.
The social media star shared the news via her Instagram Story, as she explained why she’s been offline so much lately.
Alongside a black and white selfie, Rebekah revealed the “terrifying” seizures she has been experiencing, and how they have left her feeling “very frightened”.
She wrote: “I’ve gone back & forth about this all day and I actually don’t know where to even start this or that I even want to say it at all…I know when you share on here it seems like I probably share most of my life – but in reality I share very little on a personal level.”
“I know I’ve been missing and haven’t been on here really at all the latter part of this year and I’ve been vague about being sick. I also know that I don’t have to say a single thing but It has been such a big consumption of mine the last month and bit that it’s been really hard for me to focus clearly on much else if I’m being honest.”
“So It’s probably no secret if you saw my stories in November that i wasn’t very well – unfortunately I’ve recently started having seizures. I’m not someone who has a history of
epilepsy or anything like this (my one fear I’ve had my entire life was to have a seizure so this feels extra macabre to me) so they’ve come on out of nowhere and it honestly has been incredibly scary. I’ve been very, very frightened,” she continued.
“The first one I had was a month back when I mentioned I wasn’t well – we’d hoped it was just going to have been an isolated one after lots of hospital and tests (apparently this
can be a common thing) and I was actually feeling a bit more myself the last week or so – I’d felt confident too it was a one off and I was just moving past it, but after this weekend I’d another so it’s being looked at more seriously now.”
“And Come here to me – I know there are so many worse things people can have, so many – but that doesn’t mean it’s any less scary when something goes wrong with your health; also especially given there’s many triggers and causes for seizures that aren’t always epilepsy.”
“I just feel like I need to say something because that’s why you haven’t even seen me come on to talk here apart from pre-recorded, pre-organised jobs in the longest time (and I’m not sure when l’ll be up to it again before Christmas) because I can’t ignore the elephant in the room and pretend I’m okay – you’d see immediately there is something not right with me.”
The influencer continued: “I also know if I try to physically talk about it I’ll probably end up crying on the internet which I’d also rather not do. Right now I feel absolutely awful so I’m not sure how I’m going to be turning up online this side of Christmas.”
“I wanted to get Christmas content done this week but it’s looking so unlikely and I’m so sad because I was so happy to get back into it last week. Maybe I’ll feel a bit better towards Sunday but maybe not I can’t call it anymore.”
“I just wanted to give a little update, I’m sorry if this is long and sorry if it feels like I’m sharing too much – i even feel like I am sharing too much but I’ve danced around it long enough. X” she concluded.
The popular influencer has been praised on social media in the past for her honesty.
Earlier this month, Rebekah defiantly returned her Zara purchases after their latest campaign was slammed.
The fashion retailer was recently forced to apologise over an ad campaign, after consumers claimed it had similarities to recent events in Gaza.
Taking to her Instagram stories, she wrote: “& off to give Zara back their purchases especially after yesterday’s ‘apology’.”
“I’d rather give my money for Christmas outfits to literally any other brand right now.”
In another snap, Rebekah explained: “The viral sequin dress I searched high and low for is going back too, I wanted this so badly for Christmas, but literally no now.”
“I’ll find something equally if not nicer in Mango or the 1000s of other shops.
Rebekah then asked her followers: “I’d love to see more people doing this. I know there’s a big discussion as to whether this makes any difference – but believe me – as someone who has worked for the company years ago (I know) refunds matter so much…it chops into the daily target and you’ve to explain and justify to head office why you aren’t store targets so they will be forced to acknowledge it.”
The controversial campaign displayed its black leather jacket with a backdrop of mannequins who had limbs missing and were covered in white sheets and bubble wrap.
The hashtag #BoycottZara trended on X, as activists rallied online to boycott the fashion brand and denounced the ad campaign, which they claimed had similarities to the real images emerging from inside the Gaza Strip.
