Jesy Nelson Reveals 8-Month-Old Twin Daughters’ ‘Severe Muscular Disease’ Diagnoses, Says They May Never Walk but ‘Will Fight’

Jesy Nelson is opening up about her twin daughters‘ rare health diagnoses.

On Sunday, Jan. 4, the Little Mix alum, 34, revealed in a video shared on Instagram that her 8-month-old girls, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, have been diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1.

Nelson welcomed her daughters with her fiancé, Zion Foster, on May 15, 2025. In her video, she recalled being told when leaving the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit not to compare her daughters with other babies, as they were born premature at 31 weeks and “won’t reach the same milestones.”

However, it soon became evident that the twins weren’t showing as much movement in their legs as they should be and they would struggle to “feed properly.”

“After the most grueling three, four months, and endless appointments, the girls have now been diagnosed with a severe muscular disease called SMA type 1,” said Nelson.

 

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SMA is an inherited neuromuscular disorder that weakens and wastes away muscles due to the loss of a specific nerve cell in your spinal cord that controls muscle movement, according to the Cleveland Clinic. SMA Type 1 is diagnosed in 60% of cases, with symptoms arising within the first six months of life.

Nelson broke down in tears as she recalled being told her girls would most likely be disabled as a result of their condition and that they would need treatment immediately.

“We were told that they’re probably never gonna be able to walk, they probably will never regain their neck strength so they will be disabled. And so the best thing we can do right now is to get them treatment and then just hope for the best,” she said.

“It is the most severe muscular disease that a baby can get,” Nelson continued, explaining that if the disease goes untreated, life expectancy is lowered to two years of age.

Nelson said that she is “so grateful” that her daughters have had their treatment, as they would have otherwise died. She added that “she’s had to become like a nurse” for her girls since their diagnosis.

“In the space of two weeks of getting their diagnosis … I have to put them on breathing machines and do lots of stuff that no mother really should ever have to do on their child,” she explained.

Following their daughters’ premature birth in May 2025, Nelson and Foster, 27, were able to bring their daughters home weeks later in June.

Nelson said that the last three months have been “the most heartbreaking time of my life,” adding that she feels like she is “grieving the life I thought I was going to have with my children.”

“I have to be grateful because at the end of the day, they’re still here and that’s the main thing and they’ve had the treatment,” she said. “And I truly believe that my girls will defy all the odds and, with the right help, they will fight this.”

Nelson concluded the video by saying that she wanted to share the health update to alert parents to take their babies to the doctor if they notice similar symptoms as “time of the essence” in diagnosing the SMA and saving an infant’s life.

Foster shared Nelson’s video on his Instagram Stories, followed by a new photo of their twin daughters.

“Still smiling through all the challenges. Daddy loves you so much,” he captioned the image.

Jesy Nelson is opening up about her twin daughters‘ rare health diagnoses.

On Sunday, Jan. 4, the Little Mix alum, 34, revealed in a video shared on Instagram that her 8-month-old girls, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, have been diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1.

Nelson welcomed her daughters with her fiancé, Zion Foster, on May 15, 2025. In her video, she recalled being told when leaving the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit not to compare her daughters with other babies, as they were born premature at 31 weeks and “won’t reach the same milestones.”

However, it soon became evident that the twins weren’t showing as much movement in their legs as they should be and they would struggle to “feed properly.”

“After the most grueling three, four months, and endless appointments, the girls have now been diagnosed with a severe muscular disease called SMA type 1,” said Nelson.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @jesynelson

SMA is an inherited neuromuscular disorder that weakens and wastes away muscles due to the loss of a specific nerve cell in your spinal cord that controls muscle movement, according to the Cleveland Clinic. SMA Type 1 is diagnosed in 60% of cases, with symptoms arising within the first six months of life.

Nelson broke down in tears as she recalled being told her girls would most likely be disabled as a result of their condition and that they would need treatment immediately.

“We were told that they’re probably never gonna be able to walk, they probably will never regain their neck strength so they will be disabled. And so the best thing we can do right now is to get them treatment and then just hope for the best,” she said.

“It is the most severe muscular disease that a baby can get,” Nelson continued, explaining that if the disease goes untreated, life expectancy is lowered to two years of age.

Nelson said that she is “so grateful” that her daughters have had their treatment, as they would have otherwise died. She added that “she’s had to become like a nurse” for her girls since their diagnosis.

“In the space of two weeks of getting their diagnosis … I have to put them on breathing machines and do lots of stuff that no mother really should ever have to do on their child,” she explained.

Following their daughters’ premature birth in May 2025, Nelson and Foster, 27, were able to bring their daughters home weeks later in June.

Nelson said that the last three months have been “the most heartbreaking time of my life,” adding that she feels like she is “grieving the life I thought I was going to have with my children.”

“I have to be grateful because at the end of the day, they’re still here and that’s the main thing and they’ve had the treatment,” she said. “And I truly believe that my girls will defy all the odds and, with the right help, they will fight this.”

Nelson concluded the video by saying that she wanted to share the health update to alert parents to take their babies to the doctor if they notice similar symptoms as “time of the essence” in diagnosing the SMA and saving an infant’s life.

Foster shared Nelson’s video on his Instagram Stories, followed by a new photo of their twin daughters.

“Still smiling through all the challenges. Daddy loves you so much,” he captioned the image.