Teen Mom 2 star Leah Messer’s daughter Ali Simms received some promising news regarding her health during a recent doctor’s appointment.
Leah shares three daughters with her two ex-husbands. She and Jeremy Calvert share their 9-year-old daughter Addie, and she shares 12-year-old twins Ali and Aleeah with Corey Simms.
One of Leah’s twin daughters, Ali, was born with a rare type of muscular dystrophy and was finally diagnosed with Titin’s myopathy muscular dystrophy in 2014 after years of testing.
Earlier this week, Ali had a checkup with Dr. Tsao, who Teen Mom 2 viewers likely remember from several episodes in which he has treated Ali.
Teen Mom 2 star Leah Messer shares promising health update on daughter Ali
Leah took to Instagram to share the results of Ali’s checkup and had promising news. Leah shared a video montage with footage of Ali’s journey, showing some of her recent doctor visits, Ali horseback riding, and text messages in which Leah bragged about Ali’s progress.
“An update from Alis MD appt yesterday!” Leah captioned her post. “All great things- He sees more of an improvement than he ever has, mind & body. He said what he sees is remarkable because she seems a lot stronger. 700+ of her type of #MuscularDystrophy.”
Leah has shared that her girls have found a love for horseback riding recently, which has helped Ali tremendously with reaching her goals. Ali even won first place in a recent competition.
“He gave a lot of credit to her love, hard work and dedication to reaching horseback riding goals that she sets for herself,” Leah continued. “Reflex is still the same but strength is better- pulmonary is better- weight and growth chart is better than it has ever been. He even asked to take a photo with her. ?”
Leah concluded her caption, “We love Dr. Tsao and are so grateful for his practices and guidance over the years. Keep working hard and staying dedicated Ali girl. We love you and are so proud of you! A special thanks to all of you who believe in and support my girl. ??❤️?”
How will Ali’s condition affect her life?
According to Jill Frauenheim, MS, CGC, a Genetic Counselor at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Ali’s condition causes muscle weakness with varying severity, and can also potentially cause respiratory and heart issues.
As far as life expectancy goes for someone living with Ali’s condition, Frauenheim said that it varies. “We’ve seen people live into their 50s or 60s, with others into their 20s. It comes down to how severe or mild that person is presenting.”
Despite some of the potential complications, Leah shared promising news last year regarding the life expectancy of those living with Titin’s.
“There are now over 100 cases of Titin Myopathy Muscular Dystrophy worldwide,” Leah tweeted. “& research is showing a life expectancy of around 70 years, as long as there are no signs of heart or lung failure. This news brought hope to our family.”
Teen Mom 2 airs on Tuesday nights at 8/7c on MTV.