Little Mix alum jesy nelson offers a glimpse into her life after her twin daughters, Story and Ocean, were both diagnosed with a serious muscle disease.
“I am so in love with her little laugh,” Nelson, 34, wrote via her Instagram Stories, sharing a sweet photo of one of her sleeping babies. In the footage, a feeding tube could be seen attached to the infant’s face.
Nelson revealed earlier this month that both of his daughters had been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1. According to the Cleveland Clinic, SMA is a genetic disorder that causes worsening muscle weakness. There are five types of SMA, which can vary in severity.
“A few months ago, my mom noticed that the girls weren’t showing as much movement in their legs as they should be,” Nelson said in a video on social networks from January 4. “[It] didn’t really concern me at the time, because the minute I left the NICU I was told, “Your babies are premature, so don’t compare your babies to other babies.” They will not reach the same milestones. Take them as they are.
Nelson and his fiancé, Zion Foster, welcomed their children prematurely in May 2025 following the singer’s high-risk twin pregnancy.
After Nelson and Foster, 27, brought their daughters home, they began to notice certain “signs” that would become hallmarks of the girls’ SMA diagnoses.
“They were having trouble getting proper nutrition. It was getting less and less,” she said. “To make a long story short, after the three most exhausting [or] After four months and endless appointments, the girls have now been diagnosed with a serious muscle disease called SMA Type 1. Type 1 is the most serious type a baby can get. This means spinal muscular atrophy, which can affect every muscle in the body, down to the legs, arms, breathing, swallowing and… over time, it kills the body’s muscles.
Nelson continued: “If this problem is not treated in time, your baby’s life expectancy will not exceed 2 years old.”
Once Story and Ocean were diagnosed with SMA, doctors informed Nelson and Foster that their children would likely never be “able to walk” and would need wheelchairs.
“They’ll probably never get any strength back, so they’ll be disabled. The best thing we can do right now is treat them and hope for the best,” Nelson said. “I’m very grateful because if they don’t have it, they will die. It’s been an endless amount of hospital appointments. I almost feel like the hospital has become my second home.”
Above all, Nelson is just happy that her babies are “still here” and have undergone treatment.
“They have followed their treatment and I sincerely believe that my daughters will defy all odds,” she concluded. “With the right help, they will fight this and continue to do things that have never been done.” »
Nelson then gave an update on his children during an interview on Wednesday, January 7, on the British show This morning talk show.
“They’re always smiling, they’re always happy,” she said. “They have each other, and that’s the main thing I’m so grateful for because they could do this alone, but they’re twins and they’re going through this together, and I think it’s beautiful. All I can do is try my best to be there for them. Give them positive energy.”
