Meghan King Edmonds is opening up about her son Hart’s diagnosis.
In a blog post, titled “My Hart,” the mother of three, 34, reveals that her 13-month-old has “minor Periventricular Leukomalacia on both sides of his brain” and is “at risk for being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.”
“Hart has irreversible brain damage, it’s called PVL,” Edmonds writes about PVL, which is a softening of white brain tissue near the fluid-filled chambers in the brain, according to Cedars-Sinai. PVL occurs because brain tissue has been injured or has died, and can be caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain tissue before, during or after birth.
“From the minute he was born I knew something was different with Hart,” the former Real Housewives of Orange County star explains in her blog post. “The nurses struggled to straighten his legs to measure his length. He suckled hard, shallow, and often until I bled and he spit up black. … Well, I knew. I always knew. I just knew.”
Edmonds also shares how she “begged” Hart’s pediatrician, who said “he was fine,” for specialized testing.
“I told our pediatrician — she said he was fine. I begged for a neurologist referral and when I got it — he said he was fine. I then begged for a neurologist who specializes in Cerebral Palsy (I jumped through hoops to get this appointment, so many hoops) and she said he might be fine,” she recalled. “I then begged for an MRI. Eight days after the bottom fell out of my life I put my son through an elective MRI with anesthesia.”
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Throughout the distressing journey to find Hart’s diagnosis, Edmonds says she communicated with husband Jim Edmonds, who was recently accused of having an affair with a mistress, whom he allegedly exchanged “lewd photos” with for several months.
“Like I said, I already knew. I immediately called Jimmy to tell him. He was surprised, which surprised me,” the Bravo star writes in her blog post.
“That night Jimmy and I went out to dinner for the first time in weeks. I explained to Jimmy how we are not somehow compromised or punished for having a child with special needs (whatever that may or may not mean!), we are BLESSED.”
“I will go on about this another time but just know that I do not see his diagnosis as anything but a gift: we were chosen to take on this special person. I truly feel as if we’ve doubled down and won the underdog hand. Truly,” says Edmonds, who previously documented her son’s MRI appointment in late June.
“This doesn’t mean his diagnosis isn’t a challenge… or a little bit sad, or that I don’t feel a little bit guilty. Because yes — just yes — to all of those things. I pray for a miracle and I grapple with how to navigate his life,” she adds.
A week after Jim was accused of having an affair, the mom of three shared a photo of her husband holding their son while she documented a recent trip to the hospital.
“Mommy and daddy’s best part is the results,” she captioned a set of photos of their son at the hospital, adding a heart-eyed emoji, alongside a photo of Jim, 48, kissing their baby boy’s forehead while cradling him in his arms.
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