TikTok star Laura Lee Watts usually shares beauty reviews with her 3.7 million followers, but she had heartbreaking news to share on Tuesday. Her daughter, Savannah, died the day before after a seizure caused by her epilepsy. Savannah was 15.
“I cannot believe I’m making this video and I’m going to do my best to get through it,” Watts said, with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Most of you know I have three children, and my oldest is Savannah. She’s 15 and she’s epileptic.”
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Since Savannah often appeared in her videos, Watts told her fans she felt it was necessary to share this news. “I know you guys would see her in my videos and hear me do story times with her,” she said. “I know you guys really loved her, so I wanted to let you know that yesterday morning she had a fatal seizure and passed away.”
Watts then burst into tears as she remembered her daughter. “She was the most beautiful child I’ve ever known with the most beautiful soul and the kindest heart,” Watts said. “I don’t know how I’m going to live without her. My baby.”
Watts told her fans about Savannah’s condition in August 2021, reports PEOPLE. Savannah was diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a rare and progressive form of epilepsy when she was a toddler. “I’ve known Savannah was epileptic since she was 3 or 4 years old but back then, she would just have absence seizures where she would space out for 10 or 15 seconds kind of like she was asleep,” Watts said at the time. “She used to have those hundreds of times a day.”
Savannah’s condition worsened as she got older, Watts explained. She would have mal seizures, which can cause muscle contractions and loss of consciousness. Savannah’s neurologist hoped she would outgrow her condition, but the opposite happened. “She has different types of seizures and it’s really hard to control so you never know when she’s gonna have a seizure,” Watts said. “I’m constantly listening out for a weird noise or a drop. They’re traumatizing.”
Watts’ fans offered their condolences after watching her heartbreaking video Tuesday. “My heart is breaking for you, I’m so sorry for your loss. No parent should ever,” one wrote. “[Losing] a child is truly the hardest thing a parent can ever go through. I am so sorry that you have to go through this,” another commented. “Sending all of my love to you and your family,” another wrote. “I am so incredibly sorry.”
