MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

'Southern Charm' star Olivia Flowers opens up about her late brother Connor's struggle with Lyme disease

Olivia Flowers opened up about the struggle to get a diagnosis for Lyme disease, recalling how much her brother suffered even at 'the best of clinics'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Olivia Flowers fought through her emotions while trying to talk about her brother Connor’s unexpected death at the age of 32 in February.

The ‘Southern Charm’ star shared how the last few days were for him. “My brother, he was very lively and loved bringing people together,” she said in an interview with People.

She added, “He literally made friends everywhere we'd go. Even when we went on vacation, we'd go down the hotel lobby to get breakfast and he knew everyone by name. He was this 6'5" beautiful guy who had the biggest heart.”

Olivia Flowers says healthcare system failed her brother

The 31-year-old celebrity also opened up about Connor’s medical condition and his longtime battle with Lyme disease.

“It's just heartbreaking. There are these holes in the healthcare system, and my brother fell into one,” Olivia said.

“I remember my parents taking him to doctors literally around the world trying to find answers to these symptoms that he talked about to no avail,” she continued.

She added, “My parents saw the best of the best clinics, and Conner was just told over and over, ‘It's all in your head, you're fine.’”

This all culminated in prescription medication as part of his daily life. She expressed her heartbreak as she said, “He started depending, at a very young age, on this prescription medicine to feel normal. And we as a family started to see this toll it took on his body.”

Why does Olivia Flowers talk about her brother's loss despite pain it brings?

Olivia explained why talking about her brother’s loss helped her. “Like most siblings, Conner and I have always been very protective of each other. So discussing this loss with a larger audience hasn't been easy,” she admitted.

However, she added, “But I definitely want to step outside my comfort zone and use my platform to shed some light and awareness and possibly help others, because I know I'd be honoring Conner in some way by doing that.”

Talking more about his brother, the reality star told the outlet, “He loved to help people. He was actually the one who encouraged me to do the show.”

Recalling him on the show, she said “And I remember producers asking several times if they could do a scene with Conner and I, but because I'm so protective of him, I never wanted to talk about what he was going through on camera. But he agreed to do a FaceTime call from Arizona and I'm so glad he did because now I have that footage forever."

Connor's cause of death was confirmed to be from an accidental overdose of fentanyl on January 30. “My brother hated talking about his illness,” addressed Olivia.

“So many people, even in his close circle, didn't know about his Lyme. So again, to hear he died of a fentanyl overdose, there's immediately going to be this assumption that he was partying. Conner wasn't like that. This was a relapse. This was his means to survive,” she said, explaining the situation.