TEEN Mom Leah Messer could not hold back her tears as she gave an emotional update on “finding a cure” for daughter Ali’s muscular dystrophy diagnosis. The mom-of-three broke down as she chatted to reunion hosts Dr Drew and Nessa Diab about her 11-year-old’s progress. Dr Drew said on a clip of the show posted […]
TEEN Mom Leah Messer could not hold back her tears as she gave an emotional update on “finding a cure” for daughter Ali’s muscular dystrophy diagnosis.
The mom-of-three broke down as she chatted to reunion hosts Dr Drew and Nessa Diab about her 11-year-old’s progress.
Dr Drew said on a clip of the show posted in Instagram: “A quick thing on Ali’s disorder, her muscular dystrophy – I caught that the doctor was changing her prognosis a bit, because they now have a bigger cohort with her rare genetic, specific problem, right?”
“Yes,” replied Leah. “I have so much good news about this – I have just partnered with a not-for-profit organisation and sent her muscle biopsy from 2012 to OSU – Ohio State University…”
The 29-year-old was forced to take a breath as she started to tear up and she told the pair: “Guys this has been a hell of a 12 years… for treatment and a cure…
“If they had us stop looking for a diagnosis, I would never be 12 years into it, we’re finding a cure in research.”
She added passionately: “Don’t tell me f***ing science isn’t real because that’s my daughter’s livelihood.”
Ali was diagnosed with Titin Myotonic muscular dystrophy in 2014, a rare form of progressive weakness disease that had existed in less than 20 cases around the world at the time of her diagnosis.
She is often encouraged to use her power wheelchair to conserve her energy and to prevent falls.
We’re finding a cure in research
Leah Messer
MTV favorite Leah is also mom to Aleeah, 11, and Adalynn, eight.
She shares her twin girls with Corey Simms, who she parted ways with back in 2011, while she shares Adalynn with ex-husband Jeremy Calvert.
In a recent episode of the Teen Mom 2 viewers saw Ali and Leah attend a virtual appointment with Ali’s doctor.
Dr. Tsao revealed promising results from recent studies of hundreds of others diagnosed with the rare disease.
“I wanted to let you know, there have been several hundred patients with titan myopathy. The type of situation that Aliannah has.”
Leah gasped in excitement before the doctor continued: “And that’s throughout the world. And they’ve found that many patients like Aliannah’s situation with no heart or lung involvement can live into their seventies at least. That is very good information for you to know.”
Leah revealed to the camera that she does not want her daughter to “worry” about her “life expectancy” as she grows to understand more about her condition.
She admitted that it was an ongoing fear for her and Corey, 31, of how quickly the disease would progress.
She said: “With discovering more cases, it gives me hope for my little girl. I feel like we can look further into her future. It does bring us hope.”
