Jess Wright has revealed that her son Presley has been diagnosed with a rare congenital heart condition, meaning he will have to undergo open-heart surgery.
The former TOWIE star, 38, has shared her two-year-old son with businessman husband William Lee-Kemp for three years.
On Monday, she took to Instagram to share a black-and-white photo of the three of them, admitting that sharing the news “physically hurts my soul.”
Jess explained that Presley was born with a condition called bicuspid aortic valve, which only affects 1 percent of the population, meaning he is missing one leaflet in his heart.
She said he was being constantly monitored by doctors and hopes he can live as normal a life as possible, but revealed the boy would need to undergo open-heart surgery at least twice in his life.
Jess Wright has revealed that her son Presley has been diagnosed with a rare congenital heart condition, meaning he will have to undergo open-heart surgery.
The former TOWIE star, 38, shares her two-year-old son with businessman husband William Lee-Kemp (pictured together)
Jess explained that Presley was born with a condition called bicuspid aortic valve, which only affects 1 percent of the population, meaning he is missing one leaflet in his heart.
She said they had been trying to cope with the news for a few months and were nervous about sharing it, but wanted to raise awareness and hear from other parents who had also been through the same thing “so we know we’re not alone.”
In his lengthy epigraph, Jess began: Hi everyone. I was apprehensive and 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 from reality any longer and I would love to raise awareness as well.
‘A few months ago we learned that our son Presley has a congenital heart condition called ‘bicuspid aortic valve,’ a condition he was born with that affects a small percentage of the population.
“Basically, instead of having three leaflets in the aortic valve like most people, you only have two. This condition affects blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body and will require monitoring and care over time.”
She continued: ‘I won’t go into details now, but while, God willing, it’s not a life-threatening disease, we are coming to terms with the fact that our son will need intervention at least twice in his life.
“When I say intervention, I mean open-heart surgery. Saying those words out loud physically hurts my soul, so we’ve been dealing with this news for a few months now and trying to cope with it.
‘We have been and will be closely monitoring Presley’s heart with the doctors every 8 to 12 weeks, hoping and praying each time we go in to get the results we need.
‘In the end, when necessary, intervention will be necessary, but the bigger the better.
He said doctors are monitoring him constantly and hopes he can live as normal a life as possible, but revealed that the little boy will need open-heart surgery at least twice in his life.
She said they had been trying to cope with the news for a few months and were nervous about sharing it, but wanted to raise awareness and hear from other parents who had also been through the same thing “so we know we’re not alone.”
“We know Presley is strong and resilient. With the help of modern medicine, Presley will live as normal a life as any other child, and we hope and pray for that.”
Jess asked her followers for advice and also thanked her family and friends for their support during this “scary” time.
She wrote: ‘I also know that this platform will help me share and gain information, express my feelings, find answers to questions and provide much-needed support and knowledge to others who need it.
‘I’d love to hear from other parents navigating this uncharted and scary territory, as knowledge is power and it’s a comfort to know we’re 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 and for helping us raise awareness about heart health.
‘I will also be speaking to the Brompton Fountain Children’s Charity and hopefully helping as best I can with their fundraising.’
The reality star concluded her post: ‘Wishing you all a beautiful festive Monday ‘
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