A woman who outlines what she faces with her chronic illness on TikTok recently posted a video while in the hospital. She was baffled when she received a comment from an Ohio nurse who had something cruel to say to her. Now, she’s taking matters into her own hands. Her video brings attention to why you should never be mindlessly rude to people on the internet.
Keeks (@keeksyong) has Sickle Cell Disease, which is a chronic illness she’ll have throughout the rest of her life. The blood disorder means that she frequently spends time in the hospital. In a recent video, she gave advice to other people who spend a lot of time in the hospital. She told her audience that they should carry snacks in the hospital and just have to ask for them if they’re hungry. When Keeks posted the video for her audience, an Ohio nurse replied. Instead of meeting Keeks with kindness, she commented, “Girl ya don’t need a snack. You need exercise.” The nurse who left the comment has since deleted her TikTok account.
Keeks made a video calling out the behavior from this nurse, who works with surgical and trauma patients. She said it’s “not okay” and that you can’t just bully a “chronically ill patient.” Keeks calls for “OhioHealth to review this conduct. You are unprofessional, you are mean, and you’re just a bully.” She goes on to say that somebody who makes a comment like that “doesn’t have a heart for nursing.”
In the end, Keeks adds, “By the way, me getting exercise as a Sickle Cell Disease patient is not the medical advice I needed.” She said this wasn’t the only nurse who left mean comments on her videos. She ponders why the content she posts to help others going through illness leaves nurses “enraged” with her. Keeks ends with, “I post to help people. What are you guys doing?”
The video sparked reactions from viewers disgusted by the behavior of this nurse, just as Keeks was. One commenter called out as a whole, “A lot of mean girls are in nursing.” Another shared, “As a nursing student… Yikes. I’m sorry, girl. I promise to never be this nurse.”
Other commenters urged Keeks to report the nurse to the “Ohio Board of Nursing” and make an online complaint. In the end, Keeks got the attention of OhioHealth, who personally commented on her video. They responded with, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We want to clarify that this individual is not currently employed by OhioHealth, and this behavior does not reflect our values or standards.” Commenters continue to share their opinions on Keeks’ video.
