Former The Only Way is Essex star Jess Wright has revealed her son will have to undergo open-heart surgery after being diagnosed with a rare congenital heart disease.
The TV personality, 38, is best known for appearing on the reality series alongside her brother Mark Wright from 2010 until 2016.
In May 2022 she welcomed her first child, son Presley, with husband William Lee Kemp.
However now Jess has revealed their two-year-old is facing major surgery.
Posting a photo of Instagram showing her kissing Presley while William held their son, Jess shared a lengthy statement.
‘Hey everyone 🤍 I have been apprehensive & nervous about writing this post because I knew that once I shared it, it would become even more real, but ultimately I couldn’t hide away from the reality anymore & would love to also raise awareness,’ she began.
‘A few months ago, we learned that our son Presley has a congenital heart disease called Bicuspid Aortic Valve. Something he was born with & happens to a small 1% of us. Essentially, instead of having three leaflets in his aortic valve, like most, he only has two. This condition affects how blood flows from the heart to the rest of the body and will require monitoring & care over time.
‘I won’t go into the full details right now, but whilst this is please God not a fatal disease, we are coming to terms with the fact that our son will need intervention at least twice in his life. By intervention I mean open heart surgery. Saying those words out loud physically hurts my soul, hence why for a few months we have been coping with this news & trying to navigate it. We have been & will be monitoring Presley’s heart closely with doctors every 8-12 weeks, hoping & praying every time we go, that we get the results we need. Ultimately, he will then have intervention when necessary, but the older he can be for that, the better.’
She continued: We know that Presley is strong and resilient. With the help of modern-day medicine, Presley will live as normal life as the next child, we hope & pray. I also know that this platform will help me share & get information, express my feelings, find answers to questions, & provide much-needed support and knowledge to others in need. I would love to hear from any other parents who are navigating this unknown & very scary territory, as knowledge is power & it is a comfort to know that we are not alone.’
What is bicuspid aorticvValve?
Bicuspid aortic valve is a type of abnormality in the aortic valve in the heart. In bicuspid aortic valve, the valve has only two small parts, called leaflets, instead of the normal three. This condition is present from birth. It can occur with other heart defects.
Symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, dizziness and heart palpitations.
Medications like beta-blockers or diuretics can help with symptoms, however the main treatment involves surgery for about four out of five people with this problem.
Jess then went on to thank her family, friends and followers for their ‘love and support’, as well as their ‘thoughts and prayers’ whilst also helping to raise awareness about heart health.
She concluded her post by sharing she was set to speak to the Brompton Fountain children’s charity to help their fundraising efforts.
The post was flooded with messages of support, with fellow Towie star Billie Shepherd writing that she was ‘thinking of you all and sending you all lots of love’ while Ferne McCann said she was ‘sending so much love to you all.’
Meanwhile Megan McKenna added: ‘Sending you so much love Jess. Thinking of you all.’
Jess has previously shared updates on her son’s health, posting online last year that he’d been taken to hospital after several days of health problems.
After struggling with a persistent cough despite treatment with steroids, Presley was taken to A&E where she was told to give him a round of antibiotics over the next few days, with the toddler recovering soon after.
The Only Way Is Essex is streaming on ITVX.
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