This week, Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert welcomed their daughter into the world, a moment made all the more meaningful by the heartbreak that preceded it.
Jesy Nelson opened up to her fans about the devastating health battle her twin daughters are facing, revealing that both babies have been diagnosed with a rare and severe neuromuscular condition.
In an Instagram video posted Sunday, January 4, the former Little Mix singer, 34, disclosed that her 8-month-old daughters, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, are living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1. Nelson welcomed the twins with her fiancé, Zion Foster, on May 15, 2025, after delivering them prematurely at 31 weeks.
Recalling the early days after leaving the neonatal intensive care unit, Nelson said doctors cautioned her against comparing her daughters’ development to that of other babies, explaining they “won’t reach the same milestones.” Over time, however, Nelson noticed worrying signs including limited movement in their legs and difficulty feeding that led to months of testing and appointments.
"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," Nelson shared.
She went on to explain the seriousness of the diagnosis, and the prognosis doctors initially gave her family. “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 added, noting that without treatment, children with SMA Type 1 often have a life expectancy of just two years.
Nelson expressed deep gratitude that her daughters were able to receive treatment in time, saying it ultimately saved their lives. She also described how drastically her role as a mother changed overnight.
“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, adding that she has essentially “had to become like a nurse” for her girls.
The singer described the past few months as emotionally overwhelming, calling them “the most heartbreaking time of my life,” and admitting she feels as though she is “grieving the life I thought I was going to have with my children.”
Still, Nelson emphasized her determination to remain hopeful. “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.”
Following their premature arrival in May 2025, Nelson and Foster, 27, were able to bring Ocean and Story home several weeks later in June.
