Influencer Halley Kate McGookin, known online as Halley Kate, has taken to TikTok to update her followers on her current hospital stay due to a flare-up of her ulcerative colitis.
Known for opening up about her life online, McGookin shared a new TikTok explaining her choice to share her hospital stay as well as her boundaries surrounding her experience.
“Yeah, I totally could have just posted a black screen and been like ‘hey, taking some time off,’ whatever, right? But at the same time, that, like, doesn’t feel authentic to me and that’s not how I would normally operate, and I also love making TikToks,” McGookin explained in the post.
“I was sitting there for like four days being like ‘oh I don’t want anybody to know I’m in here,’ and then I’m like ‘why do I care?’ Like, people can know I’m in the hospital and honestly it’s super relatable for a lot of people who have to be hospitalized for chronic illnesses,” she continued in the video.
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McGookin then clarified that while she’s happy to share her experience online to connect with those who may relate, there are still some parts of her struggle with her illness that are too personal to share, and she hopes her followers will respect that.
“What I am setting a boundary on–and I think if you can’t understand this boundary, this is where we just, like, clearly don’t align–I’m not gonna answer insane questions about, like, my symptoms,” she explained. “I don’t want to talk about that, personally. I think anybody in my position would 100% understand and agree.”
This update comes two days after McGookin first announced her hospital stay to her followers on TikTok.
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“Hi guys, I have been in the hospital for the last four days, I think,” she shared, tearing up, in a September 10 video. “No plans of getting out anytime soon. I’ll probably be here for the foreseeable future, maybe into next week. Not a great experience, but you know what? It’s okay, it could always be worse.”
McGookin also shared more lighthearted videos surrounding her stay, including a “get ready with me” video she captioned “Hospital GRWM & chit chat,” where she showed the shower and skincare routine she has been maintaining to help keep her in good spirits during her hospital stay.
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McGookin’s current hospitalization due to her ulcerative colitis comes less than a month after she first shared her condition with her followers.
On August 18, McGookin posted several TikToks opening up about her experience with the condition, including a “day in the life” vlog where she explained that while she hadn’t had a flare-up in about five years, she was currently experiencing one and seeking treatment.
