TikToker with rare health disorder rushed to hospital for 24 days as she speaks about being 'lost in darkness'

35-year-old Lizzie Velásquez spoke about her recent health ordeal, in which she was rushed to hospital, a new Instagram video.

The star was born with an extremely rare congenital disease called Marfanoid–progeroid–lipodystrophy syndrome. The disease prevents her from accumulating body fat and gaining weight, among other things.

In the video Velásquez told her 718,000 followers that it had been a tough month for her, in which she spent 24 days in hospital.

In the caption, the motivational speaker and activist spoke about being "lost in the darkness" recently amid her health woes. "24 days", she began the caption, before detailing her recent struggles.

The caption went on: “Since before Christmas I have been in three different hospitals for a combined total of 24 days. That’s the longest I’ve been admitted since I was a baby. I was finally able to come home on January 27th. This is a very vulnerable post but if I can help at least one person, it’s worth it. #chenford #lifeupdate."

In the video, she said how she has been "dealing with a lot of health issues". "I have quietly been slipping back into that mindset of why am I going to take medicines if I'm just going to keep getting sick," she said.

She also showed her “newest arm accessory”, her pick line, which is something she will need to have for a while.

She went on: "I had this spark and I have lost that spark in many different ways”, and added that she has "completely run out of ways to say it is going to be okay" because she has "just lost that spark". Velásquez added that she has been "lost" since her hospital stay and said she will now be more willing to allow people in her life to help her.

She explained that she would be starting therapy because she “needs someone to listen to her”.

Fans were quick to send their love and support to the social media star in the comments. One person said: “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but right now, I’m deeply grateful to see you here, out of the hospital, temporarily shielding your spark from the wind, sharing your perspective, life, and unique experiences with us all.”

A second said: “ It’s your turn. Your well-deserved turn to let people care for you and help you. You have no idea how inspiring you are, even more so now.” A third added: “You are our spark... I smile every time one of your posts pops up on my feed. Please don't give up. You have so many people rooting for you.”

It comes days after Velásquez told her fans she had been FaceTiming with a famous friend - Eva Mendes. "Swipe to see who I was on FaceTime with yesterday," she wrote alongside a photo of er and Mendes on a video call.

"I couldn’t help reposting this because I need yall to know how much I love Eva. She feels like she’s my cozy safety blanket whenever we talk,” she said.

Praising her celeb pal, she added: "The laughs, the heart to hearts, all of it. I couldn’t be more grateful to have you in my life. You are holding my hand step by step getting me through a really dark time for me and I couldn’t love you more for it.”