If you watch Teen Mom 2 online, then you’re likely aware that Leah Messer has faced challenges that most parents prefer not to even think about.
Leah’s daughter Ali suffers from muscular dystrophy, and over the years, Messer has been forced to look on helplessly as her daughter’s condition deteriorates.
Ali is receiving the best possible medical care, but sadly, MD often gets more debilitating with age, and now, Leah is dealing with yet another terrifying medical crisis.
On the current season of TM2, Leah has been forced to confront the possibility that both of her twins might be suffering from muscular dystrophy.
The disease is genetic, and its symptoms manifest differently in each patient.
Thus, doctors warned, there’s a frighteningly strong possibility that Leah’s daughter Aleeah Grace is also afflicted with the illness.
Leah opened up about her fears for young Gracie on a recent episode of TM2:
“I just got back from Columbus, they said that [Ali] was getting stronger and she was doing fine,” Leah said.
“They actually want to get Gracie tested for MD as well, so I’ll have to take her back up there and they’ll have to do blood work and then we’ll know.”
She further articulated her fears in a conversation with a friend:
“She’s a child of Corey and I’s, and we carry the gene,” Leah explained.
“She hasn’t been tested. We thought that she had been tested, but I guess that was for some other testing research. The possibility of her even having it is worrisome to me.”
Leah’s fears were apparent – and understandable – but as someone who’s spent several years witnessing the effects of the illness firsthand, she says she was confident that Gracie was not afflicted with the same condition as her twin sister.
“I felt pretty positive when Dr. Tsao asked about getting Gracie tested for the muscular dystrophy gene,” she recently told MTV News.
“I felt pretty confident that she didn’t have it, so I wasn’t too worried about it.”
Of course, raising a child with MD is no easy feat, and at times, Leah becomes visibly overwhelmed by the pressure of it all:
“No matter what, I may never see the decline that they see,” Leah said in a recent episode.
“I guess I’ll handle that when it comes you know? It made it hard at 17, knowing something’s wrong with this baby that you love so f–king much.”
In the past Messer has been criticized by her parenting, but while fans may not always agree with her decisions, there’s no denying the profundity of her love for her children.
