Little People, Big World stars Tori and Zach Roloff know that having two dwarf children can mean facing health issues in their future, and they recently addressed their son Jackson possibly needing leg surgery.
In a preview clip, Tori explained to the cameras why they needed to keep an eye on their daughter, Lilah Ray.
“Going into Lilah’s 9-month doctor’s appointment, we were a little worried about her weight gain, just because she’s so petite,” she stated.
“The doctor told us that she needs to eat high-fat foods — like avocado’s really good ’cause it’s healthy fats — and just chunk her up a little bit,” she added.
Big brother Jackson was relatively lucky in his first year of life, as far as not having many health issues, unlike his little sister, Lilah.
“Jackson and his first year of life, he had a couple ear infections here and there, but like, other than that … there’s nothing wrong. But then Lilah, her first year of life, she’s been sick,” Tori explained of her and Zach’s children.
“I am just stressed,” Tori revealed about being a mom to a child with medical issues. “I just worry about Lilah girl. She has made me into a worrywart.”
Jackson’s bowed legs have been on Tori and Zach’s minds lately, as he could potentially be facing surgery
Zach explained what was going on with Jackson’s legs, sharing, “We’ve been noticing that Jackson’s legs are starting to bow a little bit, so we’re going to take Jackson into the doctor to check out his legs and see if he does eventually need leg surgery.”
Tori chimed in, “I think with Jackson’s legs, it’s mostly just like, I don’t want it to get to a point where he’s hurting because I’m pretty sure it’s gonna have to be dealt with at some point in his life and I just want to make sure that we’re ready to move on it.”
“I just don’t want to let it go too far. I want to know how to avoid two surgeries like you had,” Tori told Zach while they talked about the upcoming doctor’s appointment.
Zach knows a thing or two about what his son might be facing
“I’ve had two surgeries. My first one was when I was like, 9 or 8 and it was growth plate on both legs, casts on both legs,” said Zach.
“[When I was] 14 or 15, I had it only on my right leg and that’s the one with the pins,” he added.
Zach detailed the “brutal” pain of physical therapy recovery, making Tori cringe.
“I’m not going to be okay through this process if this happens,” Tori confessed, unsure if Jackson would undergo something similar.
For now, Zach and Tori are just taking things as they come and just try to stay on top of things as best they can
“We’re just trying to monitor our kids and potential medical issues that might arise and we’re just trying to be proactive. Like, we’re not searching … for something wrong, we’re being positive,” Zach stated.
Tori added, “I think that when things come up, like, anytime they’re sick or hurt or anything, we’re gonna come together as a family and take care of it.”
Zach and Tori just returned from a vacation in Arizona with Matt and Caryn, and Tori revealed that she suffers from post-vacation depression.
Fans can catch up with the rest of this season and find out whether Zach and Tori move any closer to moving onto the farm.
Little People, Big World airs on Tuesdays at 8/7 on TLC and Discovery Plus.
As parents I know that you will always make the best decisions in your children’s interest. God bless your beautiful family.