The Roloffs are seriously loved amongst reality TV fans, as they’ve been starring on Little People, Big World for over 14 years. And while the focus is currently on Matt and Amy Roloff and the fate of Roloff Farms, we’re also getting plenty of tidbits on Zach Roloff’s life with his wife, Tori, and their son, Jackson.
Jackson is most definitely one of the cutest members of the family. At just 2 years old, he’s often seen running around on Zach and Tori’s property while they prepare for their second child to enter the world. Unfortunately, Tori had a sad realization with Jackson that she recently shared on Instagram. Here’s what she said.
Tori and Zach Roloff’s son, Jackson, has a form of dwarfism
Tori is of average height, but Zach has achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism that Amy Roloff also has, Heavy notes. While Jackson had a 50% chance of being born without dwarfism, he also inherited the achondroplasia gene. The gene is causing Jackson’s bones to grow abnormally, but those with achondroplasia typically live totally normal life spans — though he may experience some health issues later on. We know Zach has had surgeries to help him live with his condition, and recently on the show, he’s been having some worrying back pain that seems to also be related to his dwarfism.
Tori expressed her concerns while she was pregnant with baby Jackson, too. “It’s a big deal. It is scary. No parent wants to hear that their child is different, no matter what,” In Touch Weekly notes she said. But she still added that “whatever pops out, we’re going to love it,” and she’s truly been an excellent mother to Jackson since he was born.
Tori wrote about a recent incident that reminded her of Jackson’s differences
No one wants to be reminded of their child’s differences, and Tori noted on a recent Instagram post that she typically thinks of baby J as she would think of any other toddler. “I often forget that my son is any different than yours,” she wrote. “I forget that he has shorter legs, because he can get around and run just like any other 2 year old. I forget he has short arms, because he can still reach everything around the house (even the stuff we don’t want him to).”
Unfortunately, she had an incident at a small town festival that reminded her of Jackson’s differences. “He watched as kids (many younger than him) rode rides at a festival here in town and he wasn’t able to join. Jackson wanted so bad to ride the airplanes that went up and down but the height requirement wouldn’t allow him to (which I totally understand!),” she went on to explain. While Tori then added that the whole ordeal was more difficult for her than it was for Jackson, she added that it “was really the first time I was hit in the face with the fact my child is different.”
Tori then added that she’s so incredibly thankful that Zach and Jackson are both able to brush incidents like this off with ease. And her followers were quite supportive of her as well. “There WILL come a time, that little one is going to soar higher than you ever can even imagine, and he won’t need a plane ride for it, time is the key,” one of her followers commented.
Will Tori and Zach’s second child also have dwarfism?
Zach and Tori just announced ultra-exciting news — and that’s that Jackson is going to be a big brother. “Zachary and I are so excited to announce that Jackson is going to be a big brother! We are expecting a sweet baby girl this November!” Tori wrote on her Instagram. And her whole family couldn’t be happier for the growing family.
So, will their daughter also have a form of dwarfism like Jackson? Jackson had a 50% chance of inheriting achondroplasia, so their second child will have the same odds. Either way, it’s likely Tori doesn’t know just yet, as In Touch Weekly notes she found out about Jackson’s condition at 34 weeks. We’re sure we’ll find out whenever the happy couple knows and feels comfortable sharing.
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