Jess Wright has thanked fans for their support after revealing her son Presley has been diagnosed with a rare health condition. The mum-of-one, 38, took to social media earlier today to tell fans her two-year-old son has a rare heart condition and will need open heart surgery in the future. The ex-TOWIE star, who shares her two year old with husband William Lee-Kemp, shared a lengthy Instagram post explaining how Presley has "a congenital heart disease called Bicuspid Aortic Valve" and she is coming "to terms with the fact that our son will need intervention at least twice in his life".
Following her initial announcement this afternoon, Jess returned to social media this evening to share an update with her followers. She told fans via her Instagram Stories: "Overwhelmed at the support Will & I thank you all. The news I heard a few months ago really did hit me harder than I ever knew possible so far in life in terms of shock & fear.
"I had so many questions & life is a very different place now. However, my god are we lucky. Lucky we caught it, lucky we have such amazing professionals to help us & lucky Presley is ok.
We thank our blessings every day because of course he is healthy & so lucky right now. The reality TV star, whose brother is Mark Wright , concluded with : "My heart goes out to parents with children that have any health problems. When you give birth you cannot prepare for the amount of love you have for that child.
I will do everything I can to make it all ok. have to." Jess' original post read: 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.
"We are so grateful for the love and support from our family, friends, and this amazing community. Thank you for your positive thoughts, prayers, & for helping us raise awareness about heart health. I will be chatting to the Brompton Fountain children’s charity too, & hopefully helping as best I can in their fundraising, along the way.
" The NHS warns that severe cases of aortic valve disease can be life-threatening, leading to complications such as heart failure. Symptoms can worsen over time, causing chest pains, breathlessness, dizziness, and fainting spells. Jess had previously shared in November the frightening experience of rushing her son to hospital for a 'persistent' health issue.
She and William Lee-Kemp have been on a tough road since welcoming their son Presley in May 2022. On her social media, she had opened up: "Day 46066 in the poorly household. Ended up going to A&E last night because his cough wouldn't let up and he already had a steroid three days prior.
He's now on antibiotics. The 4.20am wake ups aren't getting easier.
" Always transparent with her following, Jess has been updating fans since last year. Battling with postnatal depression, she previously spoke about her terrifying ordeal, calling it 'scary' and how she managed to push through it. On Giovanna Fletcher's podcast 'Happy mum Happy Baby', she reflected on the experience, terming it as 'debilitating' instead of just 'baby blues'.
"Because I thought when they said that it was just like 'Oh you might feel down for a couple of days because it's called the baby blues.' I'm like, 'You're just totally disguising post-natal depression, which is debilitating'," she admitted. Jess continued: "I had that for a month, and then all of a sudden it just lifted.
.. It's more scary because A, I didn't know how long it was going to last.
. Some women suffer for like 6 months and some more. And B, I just couldn't enjoy anything with him.
" Looking to help others, she imparted some invaluable advice to her audience: 'tell someone how you're feeling' as they will understand and not 'judge you'. She added: "They're always going to be there for you if they love you. And there are so many others who are suffering.
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