Former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson says her twin babies may never walk
The former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson has said her twin babies will “fight all the odds” after being diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that means it is unlikely they will ever be able to walk,The 34-year-old singer and her fiance, Zion Foster, welcomed their twins, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster, in May after they were born prematurely,In an emotional Instagram video posted on Sunday, Nelson revealed the girls had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1),“We were told that they’re probably never going to 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,“Thankfully, the girls have had their treatment, which you know, I’m so grateful for because if they don’t have it, they will die.
”Nelson said the twins had been diagnosed after four months of “gruelling” hospital appointments, and she wanted to raise awareness of the condition and the signs to look out for because “time is of the essence” with the disease.SMA1 is the most severe and common form of the genetic neuromuscular disorder and causes muscle weakness, progressive loss of movement and paralysis.“I just think that I can raise as much awareness about this as possible, and the signs, then, you know, something good has to come out of this,” said Nelson.She added that the signs to look for were floppiness, an inability to hold themselves up without support, a “frog-like” positioning of the legs without much movement, and rapid breathing in the tummy.She added: “If anyone is watching this video and they think they see these signs in their child, then please, please take your child to the doctor, to the hospital, because time is of the essence, and your child will need treatment.
And the quicker you get this, the better their life will be,”According to the NHS, about 70 children are born with SMA each year in the UK, and without treatment fewer than one in 10 (8%) will survive to the age of two,The website of the charity SMA UK says that “early detection of the condition is critical” for better outcomes for babies, adding that the UK is “shockingly far behind” in not including SMA in the NHS newborn blood-spot screening test, which is offered when a baby is five days old and currently looks for nine rare but serious conditions,Three “transformative” new SMA medicines were rolled out on the NHS from 2019, including disease-modifying treatments such as gene therapy,In September last year NHS Scotland added SMA to its newborn screening programme as part of a two-year pilot scheme.
Babies treated before symptoms developed could, in many cases, “follow normal developmental pathways”, said NHS Scotland,Nelson said the diagnosis was made after her mother noticed the twins “were not showing as much movement in their legs as they should be”, and they later began to struggle with feeding,But because the twins were premature the couple had been told their development was likely to be behind that of other babies and when they first went to see the doctor they were told not to worry,“The reason I wanted to make this video was because the last few months has honestly been the most heartbreaking time of my life,” said the singer,“I literally feel like my whole life has done a 360, I almost feel like I’m grieving a life that I thought I was going to have with my children, and I’ll 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 their treatment.
“And I truly believe that my girls will fight all the odds and, with the right help, they will fight this and go on to do things that have never been done.”The singer has already used social media to speak about complications during her pregnancy, including twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which affects 10% to 15% of identical twins who share a placenta and “can have serious consequences”, according to the NHS.The singer underwent an emergency procedure and spent 10 weeks in hospital before giving birth prematurely at 31 weeks on 15 May.
Beau Webster steps off the sidelines into the light as promise of Cameron Green wilts | Geoff Lemon
There was an irony to the fact that Cameron Green’s catch made Beau Webster’s day look even better. Green had not had a good one, having earlier dived in front of Australia’s most prolific slip catcher to spoil a simple Steve Smith catch. It followed a poor day the day before, skying a pull shot after getting settled on 37, and a poor series before that. Then came Webster, an off-break swept into the deep, and Green’s long legs ate up the turf before crashing his body into a dive that gathered up the ball in its fall, the two Australians combining for what might be the tallest wicket in Test history.There is usually only room for a single two-metre all-rounder in a team, unless they’re operating at specialist level in one discipline
Australia v England: fifth Ashes Test, day four – as it happened
Time for me to depart, thanks for your company and comments. Stay tuned for all the wrap up from day four.Join us tomorrow for the final day of the 2025/6 Ashes series. Goodbye and toodle-oo.“Morning Jim, to this very England of mornings
John Harbaugh fired by Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons in charge
The Baltimore Ravens have fired head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons in charge, the team announced on Tuesday.Harbaugh is the most successful coach in the history of the franchise and was the second longest-tenured head coach in the NFL before his dismissal. Ironically, his final game with the Ravens came against the only name ahead of him in terms of tenure length – Mike Tomlin, who has been in charge of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 seasons.Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti called the decision “incredibly difficult” in a statement.“Throughout what I firmly believe is a Hall of Fame coaching career, John has delivered a Super Bowl championship to Baltimore and served as a steadfast pillar of humility and leadership,” Bisciotti said
Britain’s fragile frontrunners Draper and Raducanu try again to break injury cycles | Tumaini Carayol
From the moment news of Great Britain’s planned team for the United Cup was announced in October, jokes began to fly. On paper, it was a dream. Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, the top tennis players in the country and figureheads of a new generation, finally united on the same side of the court.However, recent history has shown that things are never straightforward with Britain’s two greatest hopes. Both players have had to navigate injuries and physical problems in their young careers, so to some fans and onlookers the real question was which player would withdraw first
‘I wish I’d faced these poor modern teams’: world’s oldest living Test cricketer on decline in standards
Twenty‑five kilometres north of the SCG, the world’s oldest living Test cricketer is sitting in his La-Z-Boy armchair and watching the Test. Neil Harvey was once the youngest of Bradman’s Invincibles; now he’s 97, his old cricketing buddies gone. His body is a little worn around the edges, but mentally he’s astute.Harvey was Australia’s sweetheart, the second youngest of six brothers, a dashing left-hander, who stalked the covers and hunted at slip. During a 15-year Test career, he cut and shimmied to more than 6,000 runs at an average of 48, making his mark with 153 in his second Test
Majestic Smith passes Hobbs to leave only Bradman clear on top of Ashes mountain | Geoff Lemon
There was a time, while Steve Smith was at the height of his batting prowess, when “best since Bradman” was used with confidence. The thing about that line is that even when the recipient has dominated for years, it gets applied too quickly, given the point of comparison is a career-lasting two decades. Lots of players reach the top for a time, no other has stayed as long. Smith was untouchable for six years before returning to the realm of the merely very good.The combination of those phases, though, took him to a rare position on the third day of the fifth Test in Sydney
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