New York: 22-year-old American social media influencer Annabelle Ham died last week after experiencing an 'epileptic event', her family said.

Her family posted on the official Instagram account of the influencer: "This is Annabelle’s family. We’re writing this with heavy, heavy hearts. Annabelle experienced an epileptic event and has gone on to the gates of heaven. She struggled with this for a long time and wanted to raise awareness for it, which we will do in honor of her."

"Annabelle was beautiful and inspiring and lived life to the fullest. Everyone she met was inspired by her energy and the light inside her soul that shined so bright. She was, and will forever be, so so loved. We’re asking for your prayers of peace for her family and friends during this difficult time, and to allow all of us the chance to grieve and work through this as a family," read the statement.

One of Ham’s sisters, Alexandria, told The New York Post on Tuesday that Ham “struggled with epilepsy for a while.”

“Honestly — she was just all that’s good in this world. She was the life of the party, a spark-plug, she loved everyone she met and everyone loved her too,” Alexandria said in a message.

“She was always so happy and looked for ways to make every day, situation, or outing better. There really aren’t adequate words for how good she was," she said.

The popularity of the influencer is clear from the fact that she enjoyed 78,000 YouTube subscribers and 108,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain characterized by repeated seizures, as per American Association of Neurological surgeons website.

A seizure is usually defined as a sudden alteration of behavior due to a temporary change in the electrical functioning of the brain. Normally, the brain continuously generates tiny electrical impulses in an orderly pattern.

These impulses travel along neurons — the network of nerve cells in the brain — and throughout the whole body via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, read the website.