Since her diagnosis, Leah has handled her daughter's illness in front of the cameras. Sometimes though, the worst parts don't make it on-screen. Recently, Leah revealed the struggles that Ali is facing as she grows older.
Leah Messer has had one of the most difficult journeys as a Teen Mom. Now, she’s opened up to confess how the trials have continued.
On 16 and Pregnant, viewers were introduced to Leah and her high school sweetheart, Corey Simms, the father of twins Aleeah Grace and Aliannah Hope. After a brief separation, they became engaged in 2010 and married shortly after. The couple divorced after Leah admitted to cheating on Corey.
Shortly after, Leah began dating Jeremy Calvert, the father of her third child, Adalynn Faith. They married, but it fell apart quickly.
When Leah’s twin daughters were less than a year old, she began to notice something different about the way her daughter, Ali, was developing. She came to realize that Ali had a condition affecting her growth. Ali was soon diagnosed with Titin muscular dystrophy, a rare form of the disorder that had never been seen before in a child so young. Even though Leah was heartbroken about her condition, she’s managed to stay strong and maintain hope with her daughter.
As Ali gets older, she and Leah must stay vigilant about the changing needs of her condition. In the last season of Teen Mom 2, we’ve watched heartbreaking moments of Leah explaining to Ali that she needs to use her helmet and wheelchair and that these differences make her strong.
Leah has often posted about how proud she is of her daughter and her strength facing her diagnosis. In order to best treat her muscular dystrophy, Ali has had to undergo years of testing. That included an overnight stay in the hospital.
“She’s so over these tests,” Leah captioned a shot of Ali in the back seat on the way to the hospital. “Bless her heart, My baby is soooo tired.”
Still, Ali stayed strong when they arrived at the hospital. She and her mother smiled for a picture during the process. “I wouldn’t change you for the world, but I would change the world for you!” Leah captioned the photo, adding, “#hope #love #mdwontstopher #mommyandme #mygirl #myworld #mybestfriend.”
Leah later shared a picture of Ali settling in for the night. “Sleeppy baby,” she wrote as Ali got her much-deserved rest away from home.
It’s safe to assume that Ali wasn’t particularly excited about it, but she was staying strong.
Leah took to Twitter to share more hope about her daughter. “You’re a fighter and your strength is admirable!” she wrote. “You’re MY INSPIRATION, MY MOTIVATION, MY WORLD!”
After everything was finished, Leah shared a video of Ali excitedly leaving the hospital. Finally, she was done! Leah shared another picture of them together, writing, “I’ve always got you! #mdwontstopher #igotu #myworld #mybabygirl #musculardystrophy #mdaawareness.”
In a heartbreaking peek into their daily struggles Leah tweeted, “As I’m doing Ali girl’s makeup she looks at me and says. ‘Mom, what’s it like to see with two eyes?’” before adding a crying emoji.
It became clear that Leah has put on a brave face for many of viewers, many of whom had never realized the effects of Ali’s diagnosis.
Even dedicated Teen Mom fans were shocked to learn that Ali cannot see out of both eyes. “I didn’t know she couldn’t see with two eyes,” wrote reddit user ToriR90. “I knew she wore glasses but I didn’t know her vision was that bad. How sad.”
Though Leah faces incredible challenges raising three daughters, one of whom is disabled, she still faces intense criticism for her parenting decisions, large and small.
Fans were outraged after Leah shared a Snapchat of Aleeah and Ali with full acrylic nails from a salon with the caption, “I’m doomed.”
On reddit, MommyOfOnee argued, “I personally think this is way too young for those. They f*ck your real nails up for a long time and they’re expensive to maintain.”
“Why didn’t she just let them get press on nails? That’s easy enough,” questioned ghsted.
User tiais0107 lamented “I had [acrylic nails] over a decade ago and my nail bed is still damaged.”
Trips to the beauty salon are the least of fans’ concerns though. Many think that her inability to say “no” is even putting Ali’s life at risk!
Leah has frequently shared pictures of Aleeah’s cheer tournaments without controversy. However, when Leah recently shared a picture of Ali that has fans divided.
Leah shared a picture of Ali competing with her special needs cheer team. They do routines with Aleeah’s team as well. In the picture, Ali is a flyer, meaning that the young girls from the other team are responsible for holding her up and keeping her safe. Even though it’s clear Ali is enjoying herself, fans were outraged by Leah’s choice.
“The doctors have been saying for years that Ali shouldn’t be on her feet and doing strenuous activity – and yet she’s involved in cheering and softball,” wrote reddit user Stabbymctits.
They continued, “I’m glad that those [activities] give Ali a chance to feel normal and happy, but they’re going to destroy her muscles. I’m not an expert obviously, this is just based on what Leah’s been told for YEARS.”
“Why is Ali a flyer?” asked kelseyxiv. “Good lord that’s like the most dangerous position for her … Just the way she has to be held and caught could hurt her.”
“It doesn’t look like she’s very secure and that worries me. If they dropped her imagine how devastated everyone would be?” user spookyookydoo pointed out. “Leah needs to try making the helmet ‘cool’ and using her wheelchair ‘cool’ as much as she makes cheer ‘cool’… Listen to the d*mn doctors and help her maintain as much of her muscle as she can! There are sports she can be in and be in her wheelchair, which I think would be pretty d*mn cool!”
User keridactyl defended Leah, writing: “Ali’s projected lifespan isn’t long and at some point she will be wheelchair-bound for life. Leah may not be handling it the way you think she should, but… It is a valid choice for Leah to cater to Ali’s wishes and let her be happy in the moment, even if it’s not the best choice medically or the choice that you would make.”
User allthatryry agreed, “It’s a 2.5 minute routine. She obviously has the strength enough to last, and glasses off during a routine is common. You see a few minutes of doctor appts every once in a while, you don’t know all of her situation.”
Though viewers are constantly concerned with the way Leah handles Ali’s illness, they even think she favors her over Aleeah!
Roadkillandpills complained, “Ali gets away with frickin everything. She steals from gracie,punches her,manipulates things so Gracie gets in trouble.”
They continued in a later post, “Ali never gets any discipline even when she steals,punches or kicks Gracie. Leah is always blaming poor Gracie for everything.”
Millionsontherapy pointed out, “Gracie does not respect Leah,” adding, “She has been this way for several years. Remember when Leah was driving them and she was high. Gracie told her she did not trust her.”
Despite her past mistakes, Leah is doing the best that she can now. On their trip to Hawaii, Leah opened up to Kailyn Lowry about the struggles of raising a child with a chronic illness.
In an emotional seaside chat, Leah revealed, “Ali has had a lot of trouble recently. Her challenges are more visible than they have been before.
“I actually caught myself back there saying ‘Ali and Aleeah would be out there surfing’ and I was like [makes face]. I about cried a little bit but things like that,” she confessed.
Leah tries to stay positive, reminding herself, “Then I’m like, ‘No, she’ll be cheering for her sister.’ You know? It’s okay.”
However, it has been more difficult lately. Leah shares, “She’s been getting really really tired, needing her wheelchair more.” Leah points out the bright side, “Ali really likes her aide at school. I really like her aide. I just feel like she always looks out for Ali’s best interest.” She admits, “But kids have been making fun of Ali at school to Aleeah,
Kailyn is shocked. “Really?” she asks.
Leah explains that kids have mimicked Ali, telling Aleeah, “Your sister walks like this.”
She continues, “And Aleeah, she got angry, punched her book, went to the bathroom and was crying…I think Aleeah is having a hard time understanding what’s going on. Because Ali does need a lot of our attention so she’s being mean to Ali.”
Kailyn asks, “Does Ali tell Aleeah how she is feeling? And that’s she’s tired and stuff?”
“Yea,” Leah answers, “But then Aleeah is like ‘Oh, you’re just making that up’ and then we have to kind of correct her and then we feel bad because she feels like she’s getting in trouble so it’s really hard. I mean it’s hard.”
As a single mom, trying to raise a daughter with a disability is hard enough. Adding on a twin sister and a third daughter makes Leah’s life truly challenging. It seems like she has her hands full for now. Leah has been open about her thoughts on a fourth child.
She recently tweeted, “I’m okay if I don’t have anymore kids, it’s not even a thought of mine! #justsaying”
Though she seems adamant, the girls don’t agree! Leah shared on Twitter in April that her daughters, “think they want a baby brother.”
She was clear that she was not crazy about the idea.
Her tweet continued, “Mommy thinks that school has exhausted them and they’re in la la land today. Being all kind of goofy today.”
Leah seemed to shoot the idea down pretty quickly, but it’s not the first time that she’s talked about the possibility of giving the girls a brother. During an appearance on Kailyn's podcast, Leah spilled that she has thought about how much easier it would be to have a son.
Even though she shut down talk of a baby boy, Leah shared that she thinks it would be easier than her current situation. “I just think girls are harder in general,” Leah said on Coffee Convos.
She explained, “I see another mom with boys, and even as far as their hair, you’re like, I’m not waking up at 5 o’clock in the morning! … Comb it over! [No] braids or pigtails. And Gracie has to have four outfits out in the morning to choose from.” She added, “Girls are dramatic, too!”
Leah has surely found out by now if having boys would make her life easier! She recently showed off her new boyfriend, Jason Jordan and a source spilled to Us Weekly , “Jason has a 2-year old and Leah has met him.”
Her new boo has also met her girls! Though Leah “was a little nervous to introduce him to the kids,” but the source assured fans that her daughters “absolutely love him.”
According to the source, Jason is a well-established professional in medical sales, who lives in a nearby West Virginia city.
The source spilled that “super thoughtful” Jordan “built their first date around things Leah likes to do.” Evidently, they have been dating for several months, but Leah has kept the relationship quiet. A former basketball player, he studied psychology and sociology at West Virginia Wesleyan University.
Jason split from his wife in the fall. Hopefully, his relationship with his ex-wife is not as close as Leah’s relationship with Jeremy!
The source shared that the new couple met through his cousin, a friend of Leah’s. This is not the first time that Leah has found love through a mutual connection. She only had one friend in common with Jeremy before they met: her ex Corey!
Since the news broke about her new boyfriend, Leah has been nothing but positive on social media.
She shared a text post on Instagram reading:
"You deserve a relationship that is based on connection, partnership and intimacy. Choose to be in a relationship with someone who is honest, 100% responsible for their life and committed to being the best person they can be, along with loving and adoring your mind, body and soul. Never settle for anything less."
Many fans were shocked by the 13-year age gap between 26-year-old Leah and 39-year-old Jason. On reddit, user FrauEdwards called out his aged appearance as “a West Virginia 39.”
MrsTrustIssues added, “He’s 100 years old. Has she looked in a mirror?”
However, the source for Us said, “Even though he’s older, they have a lot in common. They share the same faith and have gone to church together. They love hiking…cooking.” They called Jason “family-oriented” and “very attentive” and shared, “He will leave flowers for the girls and notes for Leah on her car.”
Though the couple only recently went public, the source tells Us, “It’s progressing forward…They’re just enjoying each other in the moment.”
Unfortunately, fans will not be seeing any more of her new beau anytime soon. A Teen Mom source has said that Leah “wants to keep this relationship more private,” so he will not be appearing on the show, though Season 9 is currently filming.
Even if he won’t be appearing on television, Jason has already brought drama off-screen. Radar Online found court documents from the United Bankruptcy Court Southern District of West Virginia showing Jason filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002, owing over $40,000 in loans and credit card bills. At the time of filing, he was employed at Texas Steakhouse, but for only three weeks.
What could have caused his financial woes? A shocking YouTube series published under the name John Smith suggests that it might have been a drug problem!
In the since-deleted videos, a man now identified as Jason speaks to the camera candidly about his drug addiction. He uses a filter that distorts his head and voice.
“Meth Man,” as he calls himself, cries in one video, “Bout to go score me some meth! Meth I love you. I shoot it in my veins. I snort it up my nose. I smoke it in a pipe. Meth, meth.” In another video, Jason, performing as his alter-ego, begs, “Get me some meth. I don’t care. I love meth!”
In his debut, “Meth Man” complains, “Everybody says there’s something wrong with me. Like I got a big head and small chin…You do meth for 6 months and people think there’s something wrong with you.” He reassures viewers, “C’mon, everybody’s doing it. Everybody. I’m fine.”
Jason claimed on Twitter that the videos were a parody, but fans were alarmed.
Though it may not be as shocking as meth, Leah’s new man has raised red flags for other reasons. Miss_chanandlerbong_ wrote, “I’m more interested in the fact that he’s in medical sales. Bet it’s pharmaceuticals.”
Given Leah’s history with prescription drugs, the interest is understandable. Her struggles with pills came to a head onscreen in one of Teen Mom 2's most shocking moments. As millions of viewers watched in horror, Leah began dozing off in the middle of a conversation while holding her infant niece.
Her ex-husband Corey has famously accused her of struggling with a drug addiction. She entered an inpatient rehab facility in 2015, but insisted that it was to treat her anxiety and depression. Leah has denied any allegations of drug abuse, but has admitted to using hydrocodone and Percocet after Addie’s birth in 2013.
Given the extra attention that Leah's daughters need, many fans are upset that she is bringing a new boyfriend around them so soon!
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