WVU Pre-Nursing student uses TikTok to spread awareness about living with Tourette syndrome
Baylen Dupree, a West Virginia University freshman who is studying to become a nurse, is using the social media platform TikTok to spread awareness about the challenges and opportunities of living with Tourette syndrome.
“When I started social media, it just started out as normal videos with my family,” Dupree said. “Then I decided to make a video of myself ticcing. It caught a lot of people’s attention and it made me feel happy I finally got to share who I was.”
Tourette syndrome is a nervous system condition in which someone experiences “tics” or sudden twitches, involuntary movements, or repetitive sounds.
Dupree said as her platform grew (she’s currently approaching three million TikTok followers), she grew more confident in herself.
“More people know that I live like this every day, and that I can still do everything everyone else can, it just might take a little longer. I can still brush my teeth. I can still bake a cake. I just can’t use knives,” she added with a laugh.
“I’ve always had health issues,” Dupree shared. “In fifth grade I developed my first [neurological] condition. When I went to the emergency room, the nurses there were the people who made me feel the most comfortable, to make sure I was OK and that I had a nice stay.”
Her experience navigating her health issues, along with her interest in learning about the human body and how it works, prompted her to choose nursing as her field of study.
“Throughout the years of my medical history, the people who have helped me the most are doctors and nurses. They’ve made me feel welcome,” she said, noting that she hopes to provide the same level of care and compassion for others one day.
She chose WVU during a campus tour her junior year of high school. She said she didn’t apply anywhere else—she immediately fell in love with the WVU School of Nursing. Her dream is to become an ICU pediatric travel nurse.
Due to the severity of her condition, Dupree is taking the spring semester online. She is currently working with her doctor to find a medication to help her better manage her tics. She’s hopeful to find a medication that will allow her to complete all the tasks associated with becoming a nurse.
“Studying is difficult for me. Sitting down makes my tics more difficult. My body always needs to be moving, that’s what it feels like, to make my tics feel better.”
No matter the challenge, Dupree remains positive and determined. She said her parents offer inspiration and support for her every day.
“I don’t have words to express how much I love them and how much they’ve supported me through this entire process. It’s definitely been hard for all of us, but we share laughs, and we have fun. It’s a good experience having them by my side.”
Dupree said spreading awareness about Tourette syndrome is important for her because she wants everyone to know that people who are disabled can live their lives the same way everyone else can.
“Tourette syndrome comes in all shapes and sizes,” she said. “You can still be confident and love yourself and do what you want to do while living with what you’re living with.”
When she’s not working toward her degree or making TikTok videos, Dupree enjoys spending time with her family, her best friend, her boyfriend and her dog, Yellie. She also enjoys reading. She said she loves to meet new people—she just asks everyone to be kind and to not laugh at her.
“I love meeting people, knowing that people watch me and support me,” Dupree said. “Spreading my condition on social media has changed my life. I wasn’t confident in myself to share my condition with anyone. But now, I want people to know that if you have any kind of condition, physical or mental, you can still be confident and love yourself and treat yourself well. The more positive I am, the happier I feel about myself.”
-WVU-
CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu