TEEN Mom star Leah Messer has shared many glimpses into her daughter Ali’s brave battle with Muscular Dystrophy.
MTV viewers first learned about the teen’s diagnosis on 16 & Pregnant and have been following along for more than a decade since.
Instagram / Leah MesserTeen Mom star Leah Messer has documented her daughter Ali’s Muscular Dystrophy battle[/caption]
InstagramAli was diagnosed in 2014[/caption]
Leah, 30 has shared openly with fans about her daughter’s diagnosis for more than a decade.
Ali was diagnosed with Titin Myotonic muscular dystrophy back in 2014.
Tintin Myotonic MD is a rare form of progressive weakness disease that had existed in less than 20 cases around the world at the time of her diagnosis.
Recently, Leah shared a hopeful post amid Ali’s frightening diagnosis.
She filmed several videos with her daughters online, asking them about their plans for the future.
Ali starred in the second of three videos, revealing that she has high hopes for her life.
The young TV personality told her mom: “I’m going to have a horse barn and be an equestrian and then I have like three dog breeds – two out of three – a St. Bernard, a Cane Corso, or an English Mastiff and then two cats.”
Leah chimed in, adding: “We should probably add writer to that bio because we have something in the works.”
She also revealed that her daughter was already eyeing up colleges despite being just 13, revealing that she’s interested in a school in the midwest.
Ali has been battling Muscular Dystrophy all her life, with her and her mom documenting much of the journey on Teen Mom.
Fans have seen Ali get diagnosed, tagged along on doctor’s appointments, and seen her try out different assistive technology, like a power wheelchair.
She has never let MD keep her down, participating in activities just like her sister and more.
Here’s a look at Leah’s daughter Ali’s brave battle through the years.
BIRTHDAY BASH
Instagram/@kylierose32Since then, she has celebrated several major milestones[/caption]
Ali and her twin sister Aleeah celebrated turning 13 with a party fit for a princess.
The sisters dressed up as Disney princesses, Rapunzel from Tangled and Elsa of Arendelle from Frozen.
In a sweet snapshot shared by mom Leah, Ali and Aleeah smiled at the camera while eating their slices of cake with blue frosting.
The dessert table had a long lineup of cookies, doughnuts, and cupcakes with white frosting.
In the following Story, Aleeah had to lift up her skirt as she walked across while fake snow showered her from the snowflake maker.
The Idina Menzel song Into the Unknown played in the background.
At the end of the night, the birthday girls appeared to be exhausted as they slept on top of each other.
Leah shares her Ali and Aleeah with her ex Corey Simms, and her youngest daughter Addie, nine, with ex Jeremy Calvert.
GETTING HELP
InstagramShe has also made serious progress with her disease[/caption]
A month prior to her milestone birthday, Ali visited the hospital to keep tabs on her MD and its progression.
Leah brought her in for the appointment, documenting their trip online.
In one photo, Leah and Ali posed for a selfie together with both rocking surgical masks.
In another photo, the preteen posed with Dr. Tsao, who has been treating her for years.
Leah captioned the snaps: “Another great check-up appointment for my sweet Ali girl.
“I’m so proud of her & always grateful for everyone that has been on this journey with us.”
One fan commented, “Her doctor that’s been with her since the beginning awww,” with a crying emoji.
Another added: “I wonder if he’s watched his episodes. Love that Dr. Tsao is still on her journey.”
A third posted: “I’ve watched this girl grow up since her birth on teen mom.
“She has gone through some struggles but she never gave up. It’s so great to see how much she has grown and how well she is doing.”
SO SWEET
Instagram/@leahmesserAli is now 13 years old[/caption]
In June 2022, Leah shared photos of all three of her daughters, leaving fans in shock at how “grown-up” all of them looked.
The Teen Mom 2 star shared cute snaps of twin daughters Aleeah and Ali on her Instagram Stories.
Aleeah dug into an iced cupcake while Ali sat in the backseat of the car with their new French bulldog puppy on her lap.
In another photo, Leah’s youngest daughter Addie, nine, was seen taking their puppy for a walk in the woods.
Fans flooded Reddit to praise the sweet shots, with one writing: “I feel so old! They’re so grown up and cute! Bless.”
Another added: “It just hit me that I’ve been watching these kids on TV since I was 12, and now they are all 12-13! It’s so bittersweet to see them go from babies to thriving teenagers.”
A third posted: “Well I feel 1000 years old but the girls are lovely and I’m so glad they seem healthy and happy.”
YES, QUEEN!
InstagramFans often fawn over how much she and her sister Aleeah have grown[/caption]
In February 2022, Leah posted a series of adorable photos of her grown-looking daughters rocking regal looks.
The photos were snapped during a mentoring event intended to connect young girls with inspiring women.
In one photo, Ali, Aleeah, and Addie sat around a table drinking tea out of china cups.
In another, the two twins posed by a huge display of metallic balloons.
Ali stood in the photo while her sister sat.
She had on a floor-length gown at the event, rocking sheer sleeves and a tulle skirt.
Leah also shared a short video in which Ali’s little sister Addie can be seen dancing and twirling around onstage with a group of other girls.
The MTV star, looking chic in a purple blazer, danced with a gold crown on her head.
One fan commented: “Your girls look lovely and beautiful Leah. Raising them amazingly, enjoy your night.”
GROWING FAST
Fans got another glimpse at how fast Ali is growing in a snap shared in October 2021.
Leah posted a clip of her daughter that seemed to suggest she was making great progress at the time.
In the snap, which was shared to the Teen Mom star’s Instagram Story, Ali smiled at the camera as she perched herself on the arm of the couch.
She had on a brown corduroy jacket and round frames with her brunette locks tied back into french braids.
Leah captioned the post: “My girl,” adding an image of a sun with the words “you are my sunshine” labeled inside.
She set the video to the song, You Are My Sunshine by Jonathan Roy.
MD WARRIOR
Instagram/Leah MesserAli has received help in the form of a power wheelchair[/caption]
In August 2021, Leah posted a video showing her daughter Ali riding in a hot pink wheelchair.
Ali used a joystick to steer the wheelchair across the sidewalk.
She had glasses on her face and her long curly hair tied up in a ponytail.
Leah captioned the video: “My heart.”
The Taylor Swift song, Stay Beautiful, played during the short clip.
Ali has repeatedly been encouraged to use her power wheelchair to conserve her energy and prevent major falls.
In the next Instagram story, the Teen Mom 2 star shared photos of the black shirts that said: “Rare Disease Awareness.”
The caption said: “#TeamAli. Thank you!”
GOOD NEWS
Leah has often kept fans updated on her MD journey, sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Back in June 2021, she shared an exciting moment showing her and Ali getting good news about her diagnosis.
In a preview for an episode of Teen Mom 2, the pair sat down together as they prepared for a virtual appointment.
Leah asked if Ali was excited about the meeting, to which she replied: “Yep.”
She then requested that Leah call her dad, Corey, so he could be on FaceTime during the appointment.
During the call, Dr. Tsao shared some exciting news about Ali’s illness.
After confirming that Ali received her power wheelchair, Dr. Tsao encouraged the preteen to use it as much as possible.
He said: “As long as she [uses] her power wheelchair to conserve her energy it will be very good for her.”
In which Leah confirmed that staying off her feet will prevent the disorder from “progressing.”
Dr. Tsao then revealed promising results from recent studies of hundreds of others diagnosed with the rare disease.
“I wanted to let you know, there have been several hundred patients with titan myopathy. The type of situation that Aliannah has.”
Leah gasped in excitement before the doctor continued: “And that’s throughout the world. And they’ve found that many patients like Aliannah’s situation with no heart or lung involvement can live into their 70s at least. That is very good information for you to know.”
Leah revealed to the camera that she does not want her daughter to “worry” about her “life expectancy” as she grows to understand more about her condition.
She admitted that it was an ongoing fear for her and Corey, 31, of how quickly the disease would progress.
She said: “With discovering more cases, it gives me hope for my little girl. I feel like we can look further into her future. It does bring us hope.”
MTVShe also got the good news that the chair could make a major difference in her healing[/caption]
Refer to CaptionAli has never let MD hold her back[/caption]
InstagramLeah has gone above and beyond to make her feel no different than anyone else[/caption]
