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Naples grandmother goes viral on Tik Tok

Posted at 8:58 AM, Oct 10, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-11 09:10:31-04

NAPLES, Fla. — Fran O'Brien wasn't searching for social media fame. She just loves to dance, so she was surprised when she heard the news after a recording of her made it onto a popular app.

"The next day, Allison, my granddaughter, said to me I posted it on Tik Tok. I said, 'Allison, I don't know what you're talking about. I never heard of Tik Tok. Nobody here has heard of Tik Tok," she said.

The Tik Tok reached 4 million people within 24 hours.

It started as a way to bring light to a challenging situation.

"She says, 'let's do a funny video for mom because she is ill,' so I said 'okay,'" O'Brien said.

Fran's daughter, Allison's mom, battled three cancers and that's why Allison set out to give her mom some joy.

Fran said she had enjoyed her newfound fame, but it's hard to believe.

"It's just gone beyond my wildest dreams," she said.

@fran_the_hip_gram gave her a chance to show her personality and those moves too. She believes she was meant to do this.

"I think I was born a dancer," she said. "I always wanted to be a Rockette, but I was too short."

She might have been too small for the Rockettes, but she proved to be quite big on Tik Tok. She hopes her videos inspire others to be positive.