Jesy Nelson has shared a heartfelt update on her twin daughters, Story and Ocean, who have been fitted with leg splints to support their joints. The former Little Mix singer, 34, revealed the news on Instagram on Thursday, saying the splints were needed because the girls' feet are pointing inward and need to be flattened.
Holding up the colourful splints, Nelson said: 'This one is Story's, she has hearts and Ocean has butterflies. It made me sad though, it's just another reminder.' The twins, born in May last year, were diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA1) months after birth, a condition that affects their ability to walk and has a life expectancy of rarely beyond age two.
Nelson has been open about the diagnosis, previously tearfully explaining that her mother noticed the girls weren't moving their legs as much as expected. Doctors have told her that Story and Ocean will never regain neck strength and are unlikely to walk. The singer is campaigning for the NHS to include SMA screening in the standard heel prick test, which costs just £1 and could be life-saving.
In February, her petition to add SMA to post-birth health checks reached 100,000 signatures. Nelson is currently filming season two of her Amazon Prime Video docu-series and recently shared footage of the twins doing ballerina exercises to maintain leg mobility.
