TEEN Mom star Leah Messer has shared many insights into her daughter Ali’s brave battle with muscular dystrophy.
MTV viewers first learned of the teen’s diagnosis at 16 & Pregnant and have followed her for more than a decade.
Teen Mom star Leah Messer has been documenting her daughter Ali’s muscular dystrophy battleCredit: Instagram / Leah Messer Ali was diagnosed in 2014Credit: Instagram
Leah, 30, has been open about her daughter’s diagnosis to fans for more than a decade.
Ali was diagnosed with Titin Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy back in 2014.
Tintin Myotonic MD is a rare form of the progressive debilitating disease with fewer than 20 cases worldwide at the time of diagnosis.
Recently, Leah shared a hopeful post amid Ali’s shocking diagnosis.
She made several videos online with her daughters and asked them about their plans for the future.
Ali starred in the second of three videos and revealed that she has high hopes for her life.
The young TV personality told her mother, “I’m going to have a stable and I’ll be a horse rider, and then I’ll have about three breeds of dogs — 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 a writer to this bio because we have something in the works.”
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She also revealed that her daughter already had colleges in mind despite being only 13 and revealed that she was interested in a Midwestern school.
Ali has battled muscular dystrophy her entire life, and she and her mom have documented much of the journey on Teen Mom.
Fans have seen Ali being diagnosed, being escorted to doctor appointments and trying out different assistive technologies like a power wheelchair.
She has never let MD get her down and has participated in activities just like her sister and more.
Here’s a look at Leah’s daughter Ali’s valiant struggle over the years.
BIRTHDAY BASH Since then, she has celebrated several important milestonesCredit: Instagram/@kylierose32
Ali and her twin sister Aleeah celebrated her 13th birthday with a party fit for a princess.
The sisters dressed up as Disney princesses, Rapunzel from Tangled and Elsa from Arendelle from Frozen.
In a sweet snap shared by Mama Leah, Ali and Aleeah smiled for the camera while eating their slices of blue frosting cake.
The dessert table had a long row of cookies, donuts and cupcakes with white icing.
In the following story, Aleeah had to lift her skirt as she walked over while artificial snow poured her from the snowflake maker.
The song Into the Unknown by Idina Menzel was playing in the background.
By the end of the night, the birthday boys seemed 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 She has also made serious progress with her illnessCredit: Instagram
A month before her milestone birthday, Ali visited the hospital to keep track of her MD and progress.
Leah brought her to the appointment and documented her journey online.
In one photo, Leah and Ali posed for a selfie together with the two rocking surgical masks.
In another photo, the teen 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 and always thankful for everyone who has been with us on this journey.”
One fan commented, “Her doctor who was with her from the start awww” with a crying emoji.
Another added: “I wonder if he’s seen his episodes. I love that dr. Tsao is still on her journey.”
A third wrote: “I’ve watched this girl grow up as a teenage mom since she was born.
“She went through some struggles but she never gave up. It’s so great to see how much she’s grown and how well she’s doing.”
SO SWEET Ali is now 13 years oldCredit: Instagram/@leahmesser
In June 2022, Leah shared photos of all three of her daughters, leaving fans shocked at how “grown up” they all looked.
The Teen Mom 2 star shared sweet snaps of twin daughters Aleeah and Ali on her Instagram Stories.
Aleeah dived into an iced cupcake while Ali sat in the back seat of the car with her new French bulldog puppy on her lap.
In another photo, Leah’s youngest daughter Addie, nine, could be seen walking her puppy in the woods.
Fans swarmed Reddit to praise the sweet shots, writing, “I feel so old! You are so grown up and cute!
Another added: “It just struck me that I’ve been watching these kids on TV since I was 12 and now they’re all 12-13! It’s so bittersweet to see them grow from babies to thriving teenagers.”
A third wrote: “Well I feel 1000 years old but the girls are lovely and I’m so glad they seem healthy and happy.”
YES, QUEEN! Fans often rave about how much she and sister Aleeah have grownCredit: Instagram
In February 2022, Leah posted a series of adorable photos of her grown-up daughters with regal looks.
The photos were taken during a mentoring event designed to connect young girls with inspiring women.
In one photo, Ali, Aleeah and Addie were sitting around a table drinking tea from china mugs.
In another, the twins posed in front of a huge display of metal balloons.
Ali stood in the photo while her sister sat.
She wore a floor-length dress, swinging sheer sleeves and a tulle skirt to the event.
Leah also shared a short video of Ali’s little sister Addie dancing and twirling on stage with a group of other girls.
The MTV star, who looked chic in a purple blazer, danced with a gold crown on her head.
One fan commented: “Your girls look pretty and beautiful Leah. Raise them amazing enjoy your night.”
GROW FAST
Fans got another glimpse of how fast Ali is growing in a snap shared in October 2021.
Leah posted a clip of her daughter which seemed to indicate she was making great strides at the time.
In the snap shared to the Teen Mom star’s Instagram Story, Ali smiled for the camera as she sat down on the armrest of the couch.
She wore a brown corduroy jacket and rounded frames with her brunette tresses tied back in French braids.
Leah captioned the post “My girl” and added a picture of a sun with the words “You are my sunshine.”
She posted the video for Jonathan Roy’s song You Are My Sunshine.
MD WARRIOR Ali received help in the form of a power wheelchairCredit: Instagram/Leah Messer
In August 2021, Leah posted a video showing her daughter Ali riding in a 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 back in a ponytail.
Leah captioned the video, “My heart.”
The Taylor Swift song “Stay Beautiful” was played during the short clip.
Ali was repeatedly encouraged to use her power wheelchair to conserve her energy and avoid serious falls.
In the next Instagram story, the Teen Mom 2 star shared photos of the black shirts with the caption, “Rare Disease Awareness.”
The caption read: “#TeamAli. Thanks!”
GOOD NEWS
Leah has often updated fans on her MD journey, sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Back in June 2021, she shared an exciting moment that showed her and Ali receiving good news about her diagnosis.
In a preview of an episode of Teen Mom 2, the two sat down together as they prepared for a virtual date.
Leah asked if Ali was excited about the meeting, to which she replied, “Yep.”
She then asked Leah to call her father, Corey, so he could be on FaceTime during the appointment.
During the call, Dr. Tsao sharing exciting news about Ali’s illness.
After confirming that Ali had received her power chair, Dr. Tsao the youth to use it as often as possible.
He said: “As long as they [uses] her electric wheelchair to save her energy will do her very good.”
In it, Leah confirmed that not staying on her feet would prevent the disorder from “progressing.”
dr Tsao then revealed promising results from recent studies involving hundreds of others diagnosed with the rare disease.
“I wanted to let you know that there have been several hundred patients with titanium myopathy. The kind of situation Aliannah has.”
Leah gasped with excitement before the doctor continued, “And that’s all over the world. And they’ve found that many patients like Aliannah’s situation can live to at least 70 years without heart or lung involvement. That’s very good information for you.”
Leah revealed to the camera that she doesn’t want her daughter to “worry” about her “life expectancy” as she grows to understand more about her condition.
She admitted it was an ongoing fear for her and Corey, 31, about how quickly the disease would progress.
She said: “With the discovery of more cases it gives me hope for my little girl. I feel like we can see further into their future. It brings us hope.”
She also got the good news that the chair could make a huge difference in her healingCredit: MTV Ali never let MD hold her backCredit: See caption Leah went above and beyond to make sure she didn’t feel any different to everyone elseCredit: Instagram
