On Wednesday, Jan. 28, the social media sensation shared a video explaining some recent developments in her ongoing battle with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Eby, 37, informed her 266,000 TikTok fans that she had just begun experiencing bulbar symptoms. The individual reported difficulty swallowing, speech problems, and excessive saliva as symptoms of their impairment.By the way, whomever coined the term ‘bulbar’ to describe speech difficulties when it is such a difficult word to speak, why are you so mean?” Eby responded with her typical sarcastic sarcasm. In her caption, she said, “Say bulbar three times fast.”
The video creator went on to explain how she began choking more frequently two months ago. “Because I don’t have any core muscles I really can’t cough or clear my throat, so it gets to be a sticky situation,” responded Eby.You know when you take a spoonful of peanut butter and it just won’t go down? “That’s how certain foods feel, so that muscle must be weakening,” she explained. Eby stated that she is still eating through her lips, so she is adjusting her diet to accommodate the obstacles.
In terms of her speech, the Maryland native claims she isn’t “fully slurring,” but it does take her longer to say words. Eby did not promptly respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
ALS is a rare degenerative illness characterized by progressive muscular paralysis. According to the Mayo Clinic, because the disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscular function, patients gradually lose the ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe independently.
There is currently no known cure for ALS, often known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the average life expectancy following diagnosis is three to five years, but some people can live for decades.
Eby began tracking her progress after being diagnosed with a fatal illness at the age of 33. She has continued to keep her online community of supporters informed as she progresses through each stage.
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She came publicly about how it felt to be in the “later stages” of the cancer in August 2025, releasing a video with the tagline “my dying diary.” Eby, who uses a wheelchair and a feeding tube, began by sharing her experience of losing body function.I truly despise being paralyzed. “I hate it so much,” she said. “It feels like someone started sneaking into my room in the middle of the night seven years ago, and first they just poured cement over one of my feet, and a few years later, they poured it over the other foot, and then in the last year, they’ve poured it over my entire body.”
