Jesy Nelson in tears as SMA petition reaches more than 100,000 signatures
By Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson burst into tears after her petition calling for SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) to be added to post-birth baby checks for serious health conditions reached more than 100,000 signatures.
The 34-year-old gave birth to twins Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster prematurely in May with fiance Zion Foster, and Nelson has been posting about their journey on Instagram to raise awareness of the rare genetic condition ever since.
On Thursday morning, the singer launched her petition, which achieved more than 100,000 signatures on Friday night, meaning MPs will be required to debate it in the House of Commons.
In a video shared to her 9.7 million followers on Instagram on Friday, Nelson was seen cheering and bursting into tears as her petition reached the milestone.
She wrote: “I cannot actually put into words how grateful I am that this moment has just happened right here. And it is all thanks to you guys.
“Thank you to every single person that took time out of their day to sign this petition. You have no idea how much this means to me and the SMA community.
“This is the first hurdle but we bloody did it, and I truly believe that together we are going to make change.”
The video saw the singer gathered with friends and family as they watched the total signatures on the petition climb toward 100,000, and Nelson could be heard saying: “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe. It’s too much.”
After the petition hit the milestone, the group jumped up and started screaming and cheering in celebration, before gathering in a group hug.
A voice could be heard saying “you did it”, and Nelson then broke down in tears as she shared an embrace with a loved one.
Nelson’s petition aims to get screening for SMA added to the newborn blood spot screening test, also known as the heel prick test, which the NHS says is a test offered to every baby at five days old to look for nine rare but serious health conditions.
The condition causes muscle weakness, movement problems, problems with breathing and swallowing, muscle tremors, and bone and joint problems, according to the NHS.
When announcing her babies’ condition, Nelson said her daughters’ diagnosis would mean they are unlikely to ever be able to walk or regain their neck strength.
Nelson met Health Secretary Wes Streeting last month to speak about the life-changing impact early detection of the condition could have had on her twins.
Speaking to the Press Association earlier this year, Nelson said of her activism: “It has caused a lot of commotion and it’s been amazing because the SMA community have been screaming and shouting about this for years, and it’s never been taken seriously.
“I’m just really praying that it does eventually get changed sooner rather than later.”
Nelson also experienced a series of complications during her pregnancy, including twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which the NHS says is caused by abnormal connecting blood vessels in the placenta which leads to an imbalanced blood flow from one twin to the other.
Her pregnancy struggles have been documented in Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, a six-part Prime Video documentary series which launched on Friday.
