Last year, aka 2017, was a pretty scary time for a lot of people, including Whitney Thore and Barbara “Babs” Thore. As we saw in Season 4 of their reality show, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, Whitney rushed to her mother's side after learning that Babs was gravely ill.

“My mother (better known as Babs, of course) has suffered a stroke and a few seizures,” Whitney wrote at the time on a TLC blog. “This is undoubtedly the most traumatic thing my family has ever experienced, but if anyone possesses the strength to make it through, we know it's Mom! If Babs has ever made you laugh, or cry, or cry from laughing, please keep her in your thoughts.”

In the scary episode, which aired in April, Whitney faced the prospect of losing her parents. “I’ve always thought that when I lose them, I’ll lose my mind, and I’ve always hoped that they would live into, like, very old age, and now all that could be gone,” she said.

Happily, Babs seemed to make a speedy recovery and left the hospital after only a few days. By the time the Season 4 premiere party rolled around, Babs was back on her feet. In fact, she and Whitney showed up to the shindig wearing “twinning” outfits.

So, what else do we know about Babs? According to their TLC bio, Babs and husband Glenn “are her biggest cheerleaders and are always there for her whether it be a dance competition, a 5K, or a trip to the gym.”

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And Babs’ Facebook profile reveals she is a homemaker, who went to high school and college in her current hometown, Greensboro, NC. Her Facebook bio reads, “Whitney Thore is my whole life. She may or may not have written this.” (Ha!)

Now that Babs has recovered from her stroke and seizures, her life seems to be back to normal — with the exception of certain TMI conversations that she's had with her daughter. In the Season 5 premiere, for example, Whitney bragged to her mom about her then-boyfriend Avi’s “perfect penis.”

Her mom’s response? “I don’t know what in the world goes on in your mind.” We love that Babs!