The former Little Mix singer gave birth to twins Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster prematurely in May of last year with her fiance Zion Foster. Nelson announced in a statement to Instagram that it is unlikely that her children will ever be able to walk after they were diagnosed with SMA1 (Spinal muscular atrophy).
In a recent interview on ITV'S 'This Morning' show, the singer said: "I almost feel like I’ve got a duty of care to raise awareness about it. A little part of me feels, I don’t know if this is even crazy to say this, it feels selfish to keep this to myself and not potentially save a child’s life. When you know that there is something that can be done about it and it is life changing to your child, that’s the part that I cannot accept, and that is why I’m going to shout to the rooftops about this."
Nelson explained that she is fighting to ensure that parents are aware of this condition. She expressed to the hosts “I just want to be their mum. I don’t want to be a nurse. It’s hard.”
She continued to explain her situation, “They’ve had their treatment, thank God. A one-off infusion. That puts the gene back in their body that they don’t have. It stops the muscles still working from dying. Any that have gone you can’t regain them back."
“Now it’s down to constant physio. We’ve been told they’ll probably never walk or regain their neck strength. They’ll probably be in wheelchairs,” Nelson said.
The former Little Mix singer explained the pain she has been going through as if she was aware of the condition she potentially could have "saved their legs," which is why she is so keen on sharing her experience and spreading awarness about the condition.
"I potentially could have saved their legs. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over or accept it. All I can do is try my best and make change,” she continued.
You can watch the interview here.
