Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has bravely opened up about the devastating health diagnosis of her eight-month-old twin daughters, sharing a poignant image that captures their daily reality.
A Mother's Heartbreaking Revelation
In an emotional Instagram video posted on Sunday, the 34-year-old singer revealed that her daughters, Ocean and Story, have been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1, a severe genetic neuromuscular disease. Jesy described the last three to four months as "the most gruelling" of her life following the diagnosis.
The condition causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting due to the loss of motor neurons. Jesy explained through tears that SMA "affects every muscle in the body down to legs, arms, breathing and swallowing." She has been told her daughters may never be able to walk.
Becoming a Full-Time 'Nurse'
Jesy shared a heart-wrenching photo of her twins smiling while connected to breathing tubes, illustrating their resilience. She said she has had to become a "nurse" to her girls, performing tasks "no mother should have to do," including managing their breathing machines.
"It has just been endless hospital appointments," she said. "I feel like the hospital has become my second home." The twins received urgent treatment at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, a process Jesy said was rapid because "time is of the essence with this disease." She stressed there is currently no cure for SMA.
Smiling Through the Challenges
Following Jesy's emotional post, her partner, musician Zion, shared a new photo of the twins, captioning it with "smiling through the challenges." He added, "Daddy loves you so much."
Jesy admitted the ordeal has been "the most heartbreaking time" of her life, feeling as though she is "grieving a life I thought I was going to have with my children." However, she remains defiantly hopeful: "I truly believe my girls will defy all the odds with the right help and do things that have never been done."
The singer's pregnancy was already fraught with difficulty. She experienced twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a serious condition affecting identical twins sharing a placenta, and underwent an emergency procedure. After spending 10 weeks in hospital, she gave birth to Ocean and Story prematurely at 31 weeks on May 15.
