A young mum says she “lost all her friends” and has faced cruel trolling online after revealing her darkest fear.
Lily Lynch, 24, suffers from emetophobia – an extreme fear of vomit – so intense that she once said she’d “rather die than catch a bug.”
The condition has ruled her life since she was seven years old.
It all began when she caught a sickness bug at a birthday party and was violently ill. That one moment left her traumatised.
Since then, Lily says she’s avoided alcohol, dairy and even meat to reduce the risk of being sick.
She admits that if someone close to her vomits, she faints or suffers a panic attack.
And when her baby daughter Willow came down with her first bug, she says it pushed her over the edge.
Lily recalled how it happened late last year.
Her 14-month-old daughter was staying at her gran’s house when she picked up a sickness bug at baby group.
At first, Lily didn’t have to deal with it.
But when Willow returned home the next day, everything changed.
“When I witnessed her vomit for the first time, I panicked,” she admitted.
“I left her with her dad and ran upstairs, completely out of view. I had a full panic attack.”
Her mum had to come and collect Willow because Lily says she couldn’t cope – especially with a newborn baby at home too.
What was meant to be temporary quickly became a long separation.
‘My baby stayed with my mum for six months’
Within weeks, it was decided Willow would stay with her grandmother until Lily could recover.
“My mum kept her for six months,” Lily explained.
“I’d still visit every day. She came home some nights too. But I needed time to recover from the breakdown.”
The separation was heartbreaking, but Lily says it gave her space to get help.
Willow eventually returned home, where she’s stayed ever since.
Lily decided to share her story on TikTok, posting a video explaining how her phobia affected her parenting.
The clip has been watched more than 750,000 times. But while many praised her honesty, others were savage in their response.
“I’ve had people tell me I should be sterilised,” Lily revealed.
“Others say anyone with mental health issues shouldn’t have children.”
Comments ranged from supportive to brutally judgmental.
One wrote: “Not sure how a woman could desert a child and then have another one. Poor baby.”
Another fumed: “This is unforgivable. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I abandoned my own child.”
A third said: “Sending your child away like she’s a toy you can’t be arsed with? Shameful.”
But others defended Lily.
“I think it’s actually brave and responsible of you to do what was best for your kids,” one user replied.
Another added: “Well done for being honest. You’re a good mum.”
Living with emetophobia
Lily says emetophobia has controlled almost every part of her life.
“If vomit is out on the street, I get heart palpitations, fear and shaking,” she explained.
“If it’s someone close, I might faint or just run away.”
She even remembers telling herself as a teenager: “If I’m ever sick again, I’ll throw myself out of a window.”
Now a mum of two, Lily says she’s tried to push her fears aside to focus on parenting.
But it hasn’t been easy.
To keep her family safe from bugs, Lily bleaches her house regularly and insists on strict hand-washing.
She doesn’t drink, avoids animal products, and takes anti-sickness tablets if she feels worried.
“I’ve had the feeling of wanting to be sick, but my body won’t let it happen,” she said.
“I think there’s something stopping it. But even the thought of it is terrifying.”
Despite her precautions, Lily knew she couldn’t shield her children forever.
She decided it was important for Willow to go to nursery and be around other kids.
That meant accepting the risk of illness.
“I had to put my fear aside and be the best mum I could be,” she said.
Raising awareness
Now Lily hopes to raise awareness about emetophobia, which she says affects many more parents than people realise.
“There are a lot of mums out there with this phobia,” she explained.
“Just because we struggle doesn’t mean we’re bad parents.”
She encourages others to speak openly about their fears before they reach crisis point.
“If there’s any mums out there with emetophobia, reach out,” she urged.
“Don’t let it get to the point I did, where my daughter wasn’t with me for months.”
For Lily, life is still a balancing act between her phobia and motherhood.
But she hopes her honesty will help others feel less alone.
“I love being a mum,” she said. “And I’ll keep fighting this fear for my children.”
Featured image credit: Kennedy News and Media
